WALES

Parliamentary Questions

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many days on average his Department took in Session 2002–03 to give a substantive answer to a parliamentary Question for ordinary written answer; and what the greatest number of days taken to answer such a question was.

Peter Hain: In the Session 2002–03, the Wales Office took 10 sitting days, on average, to provide a substantive reply to parliamentary ordinary written questions.
	The greatest number of days taken to answer an ordinary written question was 58 sitting days. In this instance providing a substantive answer required considerable research with colleagues in the National Assembly for Wales and the department for Trade and Industry.

Parliamentary Questions

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many Parliamentary Questions have been tabled to his Department since 1 January 2003, broken down by (a) ordinary written and (b) named day; what percentage in respect of (a) were answered within 10 working days; and what percentage in respect of (b) were answered by the specified date.

Peter Hain: Since 1 January 2003:
	(a) 336 (ordinary written questions) 67.5 per cent. answered within 10 sitting days.
	(b) 38 (Named Days) 60.5 per cent. were answered on the specified date.

TRANSPORT

Flight Delays (Terrorism)

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the cost to UK businesses of flight delays between London and Washington due to terrorism alerts in recent months.

Tony McNulty: None. Aviation security is kept under review at all times and measures are adjusted from time to time. Delays and occasional cancellations may sometimes be necessary but the first priority is always the safety of the travelling public.

10-year Plan

Paul Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made (a) in London and (b) outside London in achieving the Ten-year Plan targets for growth of more than 12 per cent.by 2010 compared with 2000 in the use of (i) bus services and (ii) light rail.

Tony McNulty: The Department has a PSA target of 12 per cent. growth in patronage on local public transport (bus and light rail) in England by 2010–11 compared with 2000–01. We are on track for achieving this national target, with bus and light rail patronage growing by 4 per cent. in the first two years of the period, to 2002–03. Progress is shown in the following table:
	
		Local bus and light rail passenger journeys by area and mode:
		
			  2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2000–01 to 2002–03 
			  Millions Millions Percentage change Millions Percentage change Percentage change  
		
		
			 England 3,880 3,930 1.3 4,037 2.7 4.0 
			 (i) bus 3,756 3,798 1.1 3,897 2.6 3.8 
			 (ii) light rail 124 132 6.5 141 6.8 13.7 
			 London 1,412 1,494 5.8 1,606 7.5 13.7 
			 (i) bus 1,359 1,434 5.5 1,542 7.5 13.5 
			 (ii) light rail 53 60 13.2 64 6.7 20.8 
			 Outside London 2,468 2,436 -1.3 2,432 -0.1 -1.5 
			 (i) bus 2,397 2,364 -1.4 2,355 -0.4 -1.8 
			 (ii) light rail 71 72 1.4 77 7.0 8.5

Bad Weather Disruption

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the cost of bad weather disruption to transport in London in each of the last five years.

Tony McNulty: No assessment has been made by the Department about the cost of bad weather disruption to transport in London over the last five years. Responsibility for ensuring London Underground is not adversely affected by bad weather now rests with Transport for London following its transfer last July. Transport for London and London boroughs are also responsible for ensuring London's road network is not unduly disrupted.

Crossrail Scheme

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  whether he will make changes to the ownership of Cross London Rail Links to manage the Crossrail scheme;
	(2)  whether he will promote a Hybrid Bill to achieve powers for the realisation of Crossrail;
	(3)  when the Montague Report on Crossrail will be published; and when he will respond to the Report.

Tony McNulty: My right hon. Friend has now received advice from Adrian Montague which he is studying closely and whose findings will be published. It covers a very wide range of issues, including governance arrangements and possible legislation. My right hon. Friend will respond to the report in due course.

Montreal Convention

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many EU member states have yet to ratify the Montreal Convention.

Tony McNulty: For legal reasons it is intended that ratification of the Montreal Convention by the European Community and by individual EU member states should be synchronised. The Commission is pressing member states to finalise their internal ratification procedures as soon as possible. The UK is ready to ratify the Convention.

Rail Safety

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to improve rail safety.

Tony McNulty: The Health and Safety Commission and Executive (HSC/E), as the regulator for railway health and safety, work with the industry to improve health and safety on the railways. Details about the work of the HSE are contained in its annual report on the safety record of the railways in Great Britain, copies of which are available in the House Libraries. Two recent key measures to improve rail safety are the fitment of the Train Protection and Warning System which was completed during 2003 and the continuing removal of Mark 1 rolling stock from the network.

Rural Bus Services

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) villages and (b) towns in Lancashire have been served by rural bus services in each year since 2000; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The information is not available without incurring disproportionate cost.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Food Crime

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs 
	(1)  what training (a) has been and (b) is intended to be provided for magistrates and judges on issues of food crime, with particular reference to cases involving illegally imported meat;
	(2)  what advice and guidance his Department has issued to magistrates and judges concerning cases of food crime, with particular reference to cases involving illegally imported meat.

Ben Bradshaw: I have been asked to reply.
	In 2003, The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs produced a case study on illegal imports that was included in the Magistrates' Association training CD.
	Defra, HMCE and FSA liaise closely on cases of food crime, and will keep under review the need for further advice, guidance or training.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Animal Welfare

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether animal welfare agencies and charities have access to lists of (a) convicted animal rights abusers and (b) those banned from animal ownership.

Ben Bradshaw: Animal welfare organisations do not have direct access to details of those people who have been convicted of animal cruelty or those disqualified from keeping animals.
	However, the department is considering, as part of the proposed Animal Welfare Bill, the introduction of an Animal Welfare Enforcement Database which would assist in the enforcement of animal welfare legislation in England and Wales. It is proposed that the database would include details of those people who have been convicted and disqualified from keeping animals. No decisions have been taken as to whether or not those welfare organisations who currently undertake enforcement work would be able to obtain full access to the database.

Beef Imports

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much beef was imported in each of the last five years, broken down by country of origin.

Alun Michael: The attached table shows the level of beef meat and meat products imported into the UK for the years 1998–2002 broken down by the country of despatch.
	The data is subject to a degree of statistical error. The overall level of errors is low, but these errors have a much greater proportional effect on countries with small values or volumes of trade. Therefore, care is needed when interpreting the data.
	
		UK imports of beef meat/products, 1998–2002 -- Thousand
		
			 Country 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 
		
		
			 Irish Republic 76 97 113 135 160 
			 Brazil 43 59 66 74 72 
			 Netherlands 12 14 13 17 20 
			 Argentina 11 10 10 6 24 
			 Uruguay 13 10 9 9 15 
			 Botswana 6 6 6 11 6 
			 Australia 10 8 6 6 5 
			 Germany 5 3 5 12 9 
			 Namibia 6 7 6 9 7 
			 France 4 8 6 7 7 
			 Zimbabwe 7 7 6 5 0 
			 Denmark 1 3 3 3 4 
			 Belgium/Luxembourg 1 2 2 3 5 
			 Italy 1 1 2 5 4 
			 New Zealand 6 2 1 1 0 
			 Others 6 4 5 4 4 
			 Grand Total 208 240 257 306 343 
		
	
	Source
	HM Customs and Excise
	Data prepared by Statistics (Commodities and Food) Consultancy
	Trade & IT, ESD, DEFRA

Endangered Species

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action she is taking in conjunction with other governments to aid the protection of endangered species.

Elliot Morley: We are taking action in many ways, particularly through our active participation in the multilateral environmental agreements which help safeguard endangered species, including the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Convention on Migratory Species, the Convention on Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. We are also joining with other Governments to fund numerous conservation projects. Good examples include the Global Tiger Forum, the Great Ape Survival Project and a wide range of Darwin Initiative projects which are helping to protect endangered species.

GM Crops

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what evidence she has from peer-reviewed research of increased yields of GM crops over non-GM crops grown in developing countries;
	(2)  if she will (a) list the GM crops which have assisted development in developing countries and (b) cite the relevant peer-reviewed research.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 26 February 2004
	It is for developing countries to make their own assessment of the potential benefits of GM crops. The Government want to help ensure that if developing countries do use GM products they do so safely, appropriately and effectively to bring real benefits to their people. To assist developing countries make their own informed decisions on the possible use of GM technology the UK supports and has ratified the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, a multilateral agreement which provides a common global basis for risk assessment, decision-making and information exchange on GM crops and other products. Of course, GM technology is only one possible tool, not a panacea.
	A recently published report by the Nuffield Council on Bioethics contains a number of case studies detailing the actual and potential benefits of GM crops for developing countries. These are not necessarily related to yield increases but may, for example, involve reduced farmer inputs.

Wild Ponies

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many wild ponies there were on moors in each year since 2000.

Alun Michael: This information is not collected centrally.

Integrated Administration and Control System

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the (a) total budget and (b) budget for administration were for the Integrated Administration and Control System panel for financial year 2002–03.

Alun Michael: The Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS) Appeal Procedure in England is demand led and throughput determines the level of expenditure. The costs of administering the IACS Appeal Procedure are met from the overall administration costs of the Rural Payments Agency.
	The IACS Panel convenes to consider cases that have progressed to the second stage of the Appeal Procedure. Each Panel is made up of three independent members who are drawn from a pool of 16. Members are paid a day and half's fee for each Panel Hearing that they attend together with their travelling expenses.
	In 2002–03 three IACS Panel Hearings were held to consider five appeals. The daily fee at that time was £149.

Market Towns Initiative

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment her Department has made of the impact of the Market Towns Initiative.

Alun Michael: An initial assessment of the Market Towns Initiative was undertaken at the end of the first year, in the summer of 2002 and is available at http://www. countryside.gov.uk/Publications/articles/Publication tcm2–13687.asp
	Defra and the Countryside Agency are now in the process of carrying out a full assessment which will identify the achievements of the 227 towns taking part in the initiative and any difficulties that have been experienced. A final report will be available in June this year.
	An evaluation of the Market Towns Initiative will also be carried out as part of the Rural Policy Evaluation Framework which will cover a range of key policy and programme based areas. The process and timetable for the framework evaluation will be finalised shortly.

NIREX

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her news release of 16 July 2003, on radioactive waste management, if she will make a statement on (a) the progress in making NIREX an independent body and (b) the work undertaken so far by Katharine Bryan.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 3 February 2004
	The Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM) has been set up to recommend the best option, or combination of options, for the long-term management of the UK's higher activity radioactive wastes. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs announced on 16 July 2003 that Katharine Bryan had been appointed as Chair of CoRWM. Katharine subsequently left the Committee on 11 December 2003 to take up a post as Chief Executive of the Water Service, Department for Regional Development (Northern Ireland). She was succeeded as Chair of CoRWM by Gordon MacKerron, an existing member of the Committee. CoRWM continues to work with the aim of delivering its recommendations by around the end of 2005, building on the foundations laid by Katharine Bryan. The 16 July 2003 announcement also said that Government would be looking at the best way of making Nirex independent of industry and under greater Government control. Despite initial hope that we could resolve this matter during the course of 2003, our considerations are still ongoing and we shall make a statement as soon as we are able.

Recruitment Advertising

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her Department's expenditure on recruitment advertising was in each of the last three years, broken down by publication; and what proportion of such expenditure was (a) to advertise vacant posts and (b) in the form of other general recruitment advertising.

Alun Michael: As Defra was created in June 2001 information prior to this date is unavailable.
	Given the current structure of the HR function within the Department the information requested is available only at disproportionate cost.

Single Payments

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will introduce historic payments under the Common Agricultural Policy in place of single farm payments.

Alun Michael: No. As my right hon. Friend told the House on 12 February, in England we will introduce the new decoupled single payment from next year on a flat rate basis within a transition period lasting until 2012.

CABINET OFFICE

Civil Service

David Laws: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans he has to raise the Civil Service normal retirement age to 65; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: In line with all employers in the public and private sector, the Government believe that the Civil Service should be allowed to determine retirement age policy with regard to its business needs while giving staff as much choice as possible about when they retire. Departments and agencies are free to set the normal retirement age for their own staff subject only to the requirement that the minimum age at which civil servants can retire with full superannuation benefits is 60.
	The normal retirement age for the Senior Civil Service is 60. However, Heads of Departments and Agency Chief Executives have the flexibility to retain members of the Senior Civil Service beyond 60 if they judge it to be in the public interest and are satisfied about the fitness and efficiency of the individual to carry out his or her duties.
	Against this background, 80 per cent. of the Civil Service now has the option to remain in work until 65, and a further 11 per cent. has the option to remain in work on short service concessions. Those Departments and agencies which have decided that there is a strong case for retaining a retirement age of 60 in the current circumstances, will be expected to continue to re-examine the issue and look positively at offering more flexibilities to older staff.

Government Car Service

Christopher Chope: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the letter from the Chief Executive of the Government Car and Despatch Agency referred to in his answer of 12 February 2004, Official Report, column 1569W, on Government cars, for which Departments the Government Car Service drivers were working at the time of each of the speeding offences identified; and whether any of the offences took place while Ministers were passengers.

Douglas Alexander: The responsibility for the provision of ministerial cars and drivers has been delegated under the terms of the Framework Document to the Government Car and Despatch Agency. I have asked its Chief Executive, Mr. Nick Matheson, to write to the hon. Member. Copies of his letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Child Poverty

Barbara Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department is taking to achieve the Government's targets of (a) ending child poverty by 2020, (b) halving it by 2010 and (c) reducing it by a quarter by 2004–05; and if she will make a statement.

Estelle Morris: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to her by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on 12 February 2004, Official Report, columns 1590–91W.

Live Music Task Force

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the (a) budget and (b) aims of the live music task force are; and if she will make a statement.

Estelle Morris: The information is as follows:
	(a) The Live Music Forum does not have an allocated budget, as its work is essentially advisory.
	(b) The Forum's aims are to: take forward the commitment made by the Government during the passage of the Licensing Act 2003, to maximise the take-up of reforms in that Act relating to the performance of live music; promote the performance of live music generally; monitor and evaluate the impact of the 2003 Act on the performance of live music; and make recommendations for further action.

Scottish Football Industry

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what responsibilities her Department has in relation to the Scottish football industry; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: Sport is a devolved matter. This is the responsibility of the Scottish Executive.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Individual Learning Account

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he expects the auditing of Individual Learning Account learning providers to be completed; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The Department's Compliance Unit expects to have completed the majority of its Individual Learning Account (ILA) claim validation checks by late summer 2004. Of those registered, learning providers subject to review 68 are currently with the police. It is not possible to assess the time it will take for the police to complete their investigations.
	The Department remains committed to making payments to learning providers where ILA claims are properly validated.

Individual Learning Account

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many claims from Individual Learning Account learning providers have (a) been audited with evidence of fraud discovered, (b) been audited without fraud being discovered and received any outstanding payments and (c) not yet been audited; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Since closure of the Individual Learning Account (ILA) programme reviews carried out by the Department have resulted in: (a) evidence of potential fraud being found in connection with 159 registered learning providers of which 68 are with the police; (b) investigations and validation checks completed enabling 352 learning providers to be cleared or closed with the Department making payments of £1.1 million to 33 learning providers; and (c) 278 learning providers with whom the Department is still carrying out investigation and validation work by seeking further evidence, reviewing such evidence or negotiating a settlement.
	In addition, as at 24 February 2004, 186 learning providers have made claims following the ruling on ILAs by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration. 119 claims from learning providers have been reviewed. Of those reviewed, 40 claims could not be validated and payments of £147,920 are being made to 79 providers. A further 67 claims from providers are in process of being validated.
	The Department will continue to pursue those providers that have wrongfully claimed from the public purse and where appropriate seek repayment. Where there is evidence of potential fraud, providers are referred to the police. In cases where claims are properly validated, the Department has in place arrangements to pay the outstanding claims.

Schools (Financial Management)

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the ability of local education authorities to assist schools in improving their financial management skills.

David Miliband: We have made no specific and separate assessment. However, we continue to work closely with LEAs to provide financial management support for schools. The National College for School Leadership and KPMG have provided a workshop programme for head teachers and governors. By the end of March 2004, we expect that leaders from just over 1,000 schools identified by their LEAs will have attended. Consultancy support from KPMG is also available to participating schools that need it, and an extensive website provides financial management advice to all LEAs and schools. LEAs have worked closely with the Department to provide consistent financial reporting data, allowing schools to benchmark their financial situation with other similar schools.

Medical Practitioner Fees

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average annual fee is for a student studying to be a medical practitioner from (a) the UK, (b) another country in the European Union and (c) a country outside the European Union.

Alan Johnson: The fees for medical students from:
	(a) England and Wales are £1,125 (maximum) in 2003/04;
	(b) Elsewhere in the European Union—likewise £1,125 (maximum) in 2003/4; and
	(c) Countries outside the European Union are generally around £7,000 to £18,000 per year, depending on the institution and the type of course.
	Students under (a) and (b) have their fees paid for them by the Department of Health from the fifth year of the course onwards.

School-University Relationship

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what information his Department collates on the relationship between an individual's first secondary school attended and the likelihood of attending university by the age of (a) 20, (b) 25 and (c) 30 years of age; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Johnson: holding answer 25 February 2004
	Cohort 8 of the Youth Cohort Survey (YCS) provides the most recent data for participation in higher education at ages 18 to 19 and 20 to 21 by an individual's secondary school type (pre-16).
	
		Percentage
		
			 School type Participation rate at 18 to 19 Participation rate at 20 to 21 
		
		
			 State 25 41 
			 Independent 52 82 
		
	
	Source:
	Youth Cohort Study: Cohort 8, Sweep 2 (1998) and 3 (2000).
	Research published by the Department in 2003: "An Econometric Analysis of the Demand for Higher Education" by Gayle, V. Berridge, D. and Davies, R. B. (DfES Research Report 472) uses data from cohort 9 of the YCS and shows that after controlling for the effects of GCSE and A level attainment, a number of factors (including Year 11 schooling) have statistically significant effects on the likelihood of an individual attending university at age 18.
	The report can be accessed on the Department's research publications website: www.dfes.gov.uk/research

Sector Skills Agency

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the (a) cost in the last financial year and (b) purpose is of the Sector Skills Agency; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The Sector Skills Development Agency total expenditure for the year 2002–03, its first year of operation, was £15.95 million.
	The Sector Skills Development Agency is responsible for developing a network of Sector Skills Councils, the Skills for Business network whose mission is to promote world-leading skills and productivity performance in all business sectors in all regions and nations of the UK.
	I am very encouraged by the progress being made by the Agency in establishing a high quality Skills for Business network. 11 Sector Skills Councils have now been licensed and there are plans to license a further 12 Sector Skills Councils by the summer 2004.

Student Loans

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills with how many graduates who were in receipt of income contingent loans the Student Loans Company has lost contact since graduation; and what proportion of the total this represents.

Alan Johnson: Data from the Student Loans Company indicate that it is currently attempting to trace 3,400 borrowers. This represents 0.4 per cent. of the total number of borrowers who will have entered liability to repay up to and including April 2004.

Student Loans

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will provide a breakdown by expenditure category of the £2 billion annual Government spending on student loans referred to in Note 82 on Page 16 of the Explanatory Notes for the Higher Education Bill.

Alan Johnson: The figure of £2 billion in Note 82 on Page 16 of the Explanatory Notes for the Higher Education Bill refers to the annual cash cost to the Government of issuing student loans.
	In financial year 2002–03, the amount lent to England and Wales domiciled borrowers in student loans was £2,293 million, of which £2,278 million was in respect of income contingent loans, and £15 million was in respect of mortgage style loans.

TeacherNet

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to his answer of 5 February 2004, Official Report, column 1033W, on TeacherNet, what proportion of the cost was incurred by (a) the consultation process, (b) consultancy work by information technology experts and (c) marketing and publicity.

Charles Clarke: My Department met the consultation, marketing and publicity costs from within its own staffing resources, reserving the amount as previously notified for website production by web experts. The number of visits to the site last week made it the 41st most popular on the whole of the TeacherNet website.

Working-age Population (Skills)

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he is taking to reduce the number of people in the working age population in the North West Region with no qualifications.

Ivan Lewis: The White Paper, "21st Century Skills: Realising Our Potential", published in July last year, set out a number of measures to raise the skills levels of adults including the introduction of a new entitlement to free tuition for those studying for their first full level 2 qualification.
	We intend that the level 2 entitlement will apply to those in the workforce of working age who do not already have a full level 2 qualification and who commit to trying to achieve one. To complement this, the Adult Learning Grant (ALG) will offer an allowance of up to £30 a week to help adults with the costs of learning. Lancashire is one of the 10 pilot areas for the ALG scheme. We have also put in place a strategy to ensure that low-skilled adults receive high quality information, advice and guidance to help them choose the most appropriate course.
	The Skills for Life Strategy aims to transform people's attitude to literacy and numeracy, and significantly to improve the country's skills levels. In the North West, the target for the combined local LSCs is to improve the skills of 106,000 people by the end of 2004. At July 2003, we estimate that we were on track and 73,000 people in the region had improved their skills. In addition, there has been Skills for Life work carried out by Jobcentre Plus and the Prison Service in the North West.
	To help raise the skills levels of those already in employment, we are running 12 Employer Training Pilots, including one in Greater Manchester, to encourage employers to invest in skills and qualifications, particularly for low skilled trainees. The Pilots are testing out a package of financial support measures to improve access to training and enable employees to develop basic skills and NVQ level 2 qualifications.
	We are also working to engage employers in activity to address the basic skills needs of their employees. This includes working with Business in the Community (BITC) who have an adviser in each region, including the North West, who is able to meet and discuss basic skills with employers. BITC are also working with a number of major companies in the North West on developing programmes to address basic skills. In addition, a group of Employer Champions has been established, who will act as advocates for basic skills with other employers. Champions are represented in the North West by the North West Regional Development Agency, Liverpool City Council, and Airbags International.
	We recognise that there is a strong regional dimension to the skills problem. Regional Skills Partnerships (RSPs) will be set up in each region to help ensure that the work of different agencies involved in delivering the aims of the Skills Strategy are better co-ordinated and delivered in a way that connects with the needs of employers at regional, local and sectoral levels. Key Partners in the RSPs include the Learning and Skills Council, Jobcentre Plus, the Skills for Business Network, and the Small Business Service. We will be talking to the North West Development Agency and their partners about their plans to set up the Partnership in the North West over the next few months.

Workplace Skills

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the role of trade union learning representatives in improving skill levels in the workplace; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Union Learning Representatives are a key component of the Government's new Skills Strategy. In developing the Strategy, we consulted widely and met with trade union representatives on a number of occasions to discuss the vital role that unions and their learning representatives have to play. The TUC is, of course, a key member of the Skills Alliance which will bring together Government, employers and trade unions to oversee the future development and delivery of the Skills Strategy.
	Earlier evaluations of the Union Learning Fund and Union Learning Representatives have provided evidence that they have been very effective in helping to encourage workers to improve their skills, particularly workers with low skills and those with literacy and numeracy problems—the very people who so often miss out on learning opportunities.
	Analysis of the profile of learners engaged by Union Learning Representatives suggests that they have been very successful in engaging non-traditional learners including older males, people in minority ethnic groups and shift workers. Data for performance management information for 2002–03 confirm that some 19 per cent. of learners from current ULF projects come from ethnic minority backgrounds and 19 per cent. of learners are aged 51 and over (almost 60 per cent. are aged 41 and over).
	There are currently around 6,500 Union Learning Representatives. Their new statutory rights, which came into force at the end of April 2003, will help their numbers to grow and we look forward to seeing a national network of over 22,000 trained Union Learning Representatives in place by 2010, helping over 250,000 workers a year into learning.
	Regular evaluation of the Union Learning Fund, which includes data on Union Learning Representatives, has taken place up to 2002 and copies of the reports are available in the House of Commons Library. Further longitudinal evaluation, with the aim of measuring the impact of both ULF and ULRs in improving skills levels in the workplace, is commencing from April 2004.

SCOTLAND

Scottish Football Industry

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what responsibilities his Department has in relation to the Scottish football industry; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: The Department has no responsibilities in relation to the Scottish football industry.

TREASURY

Drug-related Deaths

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many drug-related deaths there were in people aged under (a) 21, (b) 30 and (c) 40 years in (i) the North West and (ii) Lancashire in the last year for which figures are available.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. Lindsay Hoyle, dated 27 February 2004
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your question asking how many drug-related deaths there were in people aged under (a) 21, (b) 30, (c) 40 in (i) the North West and (ii) Lancashire in the latest year for which figures are available. I am replying in his absence. (157089)
	The most recent year for which figures are available is 2002. Data on the number of deaths certified as due to drug poisoning in that year are given in the table below for the North West and Lancashire.
	
		Deaths related to drug poisoning(1) North West(2) and Lancashire(3) 2002(4)
		
			  Under 21 21–29 30–39 
		
		
			 (i) North West 20 91 131 
			 (ii) Lancashire (5)— 17 23 
		
	
	(1) Defined using the following codes from the International Classification of Diseases Ninth Revision for 1993 to 2000:292, 304, 305.2–305.9, E850-E858, E950.0-E950.5, E980.0-E980.5, E962.0, and the following codes from the International Classification of Diseases Tenth Revision for 2001 and 2002: F11-F16, X40-X44, X60-X64, Y10-Y14, X85.
	(2) Usual residents of the Government Office for the North West.
	(3) Usual residents of the former county of Lancashire, which comprises the current county and the unitary authorities of Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool.
	(4) Data are for deaths occurring in each calendar year.
	(5) Fewer than 5 deaths.
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics.

Child Tax Credit

Norman Lamb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what procedures operate in cases where it is discovered that an overpayment of child tax credit has been made; and whether notification of the position is sent to the recipient of the tax credit.

Dawn Primarolo: The Inland Revenue's Code of Practice 26 "What happens if we have paid you too much tax credit?" sets out the Inland Revenue's approach when adjusting an award to avoid paying too much tax credit over the year or to recover an overpayment identified after the tax year has ended.
	A revised award notice is sent to claimants when a change is processed.

Construction Industry

Brian Cotter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the evidential basis was for his Department's decision to maintain the £30,000 turnover test for sub-contractors to receive gross payments under the Construction Industry Scheme; and what advice he received from the Inland Revenue on this matter during the recent review of the scheme.

Dawn Primarolo: There has been a specialised taxation scheme for the construction industry since the 1970s to regulate an industry with a long history of poor compliance on taxation matters. The original scheme required a deduction to be made from payments unless the subcontractor could meet certain standards, which allowed him to be paid gross. However, this system failed to limit the numbers receiving gross payment.
	The Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) was introduced in Finance Act 1995 and implemented from August 1999. It tightened up the criteria for gaining a gross payment certificate by requiring all subcontractors applying for gross payment status to demonstrate a minimum level of turnover. This approach proved successful and safeguarded monies that were previously at risk to the Exchequer under its predecessor.
	The current review of CIS followed industry complaints about its cumbersome processes. The Chancellor announced, in Budget 2003 that the CIS would be replaced by a new system that will relieve some of the industry's administrative burden.
	The Inland Revenue has consulted extensively with industry representatives on the detail of the new scheme, including the criteria for gross payment status. Alternatives to the turnover test were suggested by the industry but none was as effective in restricting the number of subcontractors obtaining gross payment required to preserve the effectiveness of the scheme.
	Successive Governments have accepted that it is not appropriate to disclose the advice given to Ministers by civil servants.

Earnings Statistics

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list for (a) male, (b) female and (c) all workers in (i) Scotland and (ii) each of the unitary local authority areas in Scotland the (A) weekly median earnings and (B) distribution of earnings for those earning (1) under the point below which 10 per cent. of earners fall and (2) the above point above which 10 per cent. of earners exceed.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Annabelle Ewing, dated 27 February 2004
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question for a list, for (a) male, (b) female and (c) all workers in (i) Scotland and (ii) each of the unitary local authority areas in Scotland the (A) weekly median earnings and (B) distribution of earnings for those earning (1) under the point below which 10 per cent. of earners fall and (2) the point above which 10 per cent. of earners exceed. (156220)
	I attach a table showing the mean and median earnings in 2003 of employees in local authority areas in Scotland.
	Estimates of the boundary points for the highest and lowest 10 per cent. of earners in these areas are published on the National Statistics web site at: http://www. statistics. gov.uk/downloads/theme labour/NES2003 Analyses By Region/NES2003 Analyses By Region.pdf
	Tables El 5, El6 and El7 give this information for all workers, male workers and female workers respectively, along with other earnings figures for Scottish Local Authorities.
	Average earnings are estimated from the 2003 New Earnings Survey (NES) and are provided for full-time employees on adult rates of pay whose pay was unaffected by absence during the pay period. This is the standard definition used for NES tables. The NES does not collect data on the self employed and people who do unpaid work.
	The New Earnings Survey publication criteria ensures that all estimates are undisclosive and of reliable quality, and suppresses estimates that do not meet these criteria. A number of estimates have been removed from the table for this reason. The information is based on the 2003 NES, the latest survey for which data are available.
	
		Gross weekly earnings of full-time employees in Scotland in 2003 -- £ per week
		
			  Male Female All 
			 Area Mean Median Mean Median Mean Median 
		
		
			 Scotland 483.7 409.5 372.4 323.8 436.8 373.1 
			
			 Local Authorities  
			 Aberdeen City 591.4 507.8 417.7 363.9 524.7 441.1 
			 Aberdeenshire 479.3 418.5 336.9 292.2 422.2 367.4 
			 Angus (6)— (6)— 344.1 298.6 398.3 335.9 
			 Argyll & Bute 400.1 375.6 (6)— (6)— 381.2 358.0 
			 Scottish Borders, The (6)— (6)— (6)— (6)— 355.6 299.9 
			 Dumfries & Galloway 407.6 358.1 (6)— (6)— 381.6 322.5 
			 Dundee City 482.4 421.9 376.0 336.0 436.8 392.4 
			 East Ayrshire (6)— (6)— (6)— (6)— 425.7 380.3 
			 East Lothian (6)— (6)— (6)— (6)— 394.8 365.2 
			 Edinburgh, City of 509.0 426.8 409.2 352.0 467.0 393.5 
			 Falkirk (6)— (6)— 359.6 302.7 412.9 364.7 
			 Fife 455.7 399.5 345.7 304.7 409.7 352.5 
			 Glasgow City 489.1 407.0 374.7 324.0 437.9 364.9 
			 Highland 471.2 377.1 345.7 317.4 419.6 348.4 
			 Inverclyde (6)— (6)— 333.6 304.8 379.7 334.1 
			 Midlothian 429.0 413.2 (6)— (6)— 409.1 398.1 
			 North Ayrshire (6)— (6)— 359.8 340.5 409.3 378.4 
			 North Lanarkshire (6)— (6)— 376.6 330.6 444.1 378.4 
			 Perth & Kinross (6)— (6)— 353.3 303.2 405.5 370.4 
			 Renfrewshire 476.2 418.7 381.6 349.8 439.7 391.2 
			 South Ayrshire 479.3 451.0 (6)— (6)— 442.5 420.7 
			 South Lanarkshire 479.8 417.8 346.9 309.5 421.8 382.2 
			 Stirling (6)— (6)— (6)— (6)— 429.8 374.4 
			 West Lothian 459.7 387.0 (6)— (6)— 423.0 363.0 
		
	
	(6) Estimate removed since it did not meet criteria for publication

Economic Growth

Richard Spring: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  by what rate real GDP grew in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) the Republic of Ireland, (c) Denmark, (d) Sweden, (e) Finland, (f) Germany, (h) the Netherlands, (i) Belgium, (k) Luxembourg, (l) France, (m) Spain, (n) Portugal, (o) Italy, (p) Austria, (q) Greece, (r) the area now forming the euro-12, (s) the EU 15 and (t) the United States for each year since 1992;
	(2)  what the average real terms annual rate of growth in GDP was in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) the Republic of Ireland, (c) Denmark, (d) Sweden, (e) Finland, (f) Germany, (h) the Netherlands, (i) Belgium, (k) Luxembourg, (l) France, (m) Spain, (n) Portugal, (o) Italy, (p) Austria, (q) Greece, (r) the area now forming the euro-12, (s) the EU 15 and (t) the United States since (i) 1992 and (ii) 1997.

Ruth Kelly: The statistics requested are available in the OECD Economic Outlook, December 2003.

Electricity Generation (Fuel Taxation)

David Trimble: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, following the introduction of the European Union's Emissions Trading Scheme, he will take steps to ensure that no fuels used in power stations for the generation of electricity are subject to duties or taxes.

John Healey: The EU emissions trading scheme is expected to be running from January 2005, and the Government will take account of its impact on the existing tax system.
	Decisions on taxation are a matter for the Chancellor as part of the Budget process, taking account of the Government's economic, social and environmental objectives.

Government-guaranteed Borrowing

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the instances of borrowing by private organisations since 1997–98 on which the Government have given a guarantee of any form; and what the amounts concerned were in each case.

Paul Boateng: All of the Government's contingent liabilities, including guarantees, which meet the reporting criteria set out in "Government Accounting chapter 26" will have been set out in annual Supplementary Statements to the Consolidated Fund and National Loans Fund accounts.
	In addition, Departments' resource accounts prepared since 1999–2000 accounted for probable contingent liabilities in line with the relevant accounting standard. Thus they include those liabilities which are probable but which are not reportable to Parliament. From 2002–03, Departments have also had to disclose remote contingent liabilities where they meet the reporting criteria set out in "Government Accounting", as well as following FRS12.

Computer Initiatives

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what plans he has to assess the proportion of private sector employees who received computers as a result of employer-provided home computer initiatives in each year since 1997;
	(2)  if he will assess the impact of the £500 annual exemption from the taxable benefit on loaned computers introduced in the Finance Act 1999.

Dawn Primarolo: The Office for National Statistics have included extra questions in their quarterly internet access survey to assess consumer awareness and take up of Home Computing Initiatives (HCI) which use the annual tax exemption on loaned computers. Industry partners are also conducting tracking which the Office of the e-Envoy and the Department of Trade and Industry will use as part of their overall assessment. The impact of HCI schemes on levels of home computer penetration and internet access will also be monitored on an ongoing basis.

Inheritance Tax

Keith Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue was raised through inheritance tax in each of the last 20 years.

Dawn Primarolo: Receipts of Inheritance Tax (including Capital Transfer Tax where appropriate) for 1983–84 to 2002–03 are published in Table 1.2 of Inland Revenue Statistics at the following website: www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/stats/tax receipts.

Inheritance Tax

Keith Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will list the changes in inheritance tax thresholds where the limit had been uplifted by inflation since 1997;
	(2)  if he will list the changes in inheritance tax thresholds since 1974.

Dawn Primarolo: Inheritance Tax Thresholds since the financial year 1988–89 are shown in the following table.
	
		Lower limit of slice of chargeable capital (£000)
		
			  Rates of tax—40% 
		
		
			 15 March 1988 to 5 April 1989 110 
			 6 April 1989 to 5 April 1990 118 
			 6 April 1990 to 5 April 1991 128 
			 6 April 1991 to 9 March 1992 140 
			 10 March 1992 to 5 April 1995 150 
			 6 April 1995 to 5 April 1996 154 
			 6 April 1996 to 5 April 1997 200 
			 6 April 1997 to 5 April 1998 215 
			 6 April 1998 to 5 April 1999 223 
			 6 April 1999 to 5 April 2000 231 
			 6 April 2000 to 5 April 2001 234 
			 6 April 2001 to 5 April 2002 242 
			 6 April 2002 to 5 April 2003 250 
			 From 6 April 2003 255 
		
	
	Prior to 1988–89, different rates of tax were charged in respect of multiple thresholds. Details of all chargeable tax bands relating to Inheritance Tax and its predecessors from November 1974 to March 1988 are given in Appendix A.6, page 99, of Inland Revenue Statistics 1987, a copy of which is available in the Library.
	Since 1997–98, the threshold has been indexed by the rate of inflation in each year except for 2002–03, when the indexed threshold would have been £247,000 rather than £250,000.

Project Aspire

James Gray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 30 January 2004, Official Report, columns 569–70W, what the names were in each case of the individuals forming the Inland Revenue team which met, as part of the market making exercise for Project Aspire, with (a) EDS, (b) IBM, (c) CGEY, (d) CSC, (e) Accenture, (f) Fujitsu Services, (g) CMG Logica and (h) PWC Consulting.

Dawn Primarolo: John Yard, the Director of Business Services; Don Brown, the Aspire Project Director and Ian Pretty, Head of Aspire Stakeholder Relations formed the Inland Revenue team which met with EDS, IBM, CGEY, CSC, Accenture, Fujitsu Services, CMG Logica and PWC Consulting.

Lord Butler

James Gray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when (a) Sir Nicholas Montagu KCB, Chairman of Inland Revenue, (b) Mr. Timothy Flesher CB, former Commissioner of Inland Revenue, (c) Mr. Gabriel Maklouf, former Director of Inland Revenue International Division and (d) Mr. Graham Dean, former Inland Revenue employee, was informed that Lord Butler of Brockwell had joined the advisory board of IBM UK; and what action each of them took upon receipt of this information.

Dawn Primarolo: Lord Butler's appointments are not a matter on which any action by the Inland Revenue is appropriate.

Mortality Statistics

Nigel Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people died from (a) cancer and (b) coronary heart disease in (i) Lancashire and (ii) the North West in the last year for which figures are available; and what this represented for each 1,000 of population.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Evans, dated 27 February 2004
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question concerning how many people died from (a) cancer and (b) coronary heart disease in (i) Lancashire and (ii) the North West in the last year for which figures are available; and what this represented for each 1,000 of population. (156499)
	The latest year for which the requested figures are available is 2002 and these are given in the attached table.
	
		Numbers of deaths and death rates(7) from cancer and coronary heart disease(8) in the former county of Lancashire,(9) and the North West government office region,(10) 2002(11)
		
			  Numbers of deaths Rate per 1,000 population 
		
		
			 Cancer 
			 Former county of Lancashire 4,020 2.8 
			 North West 19,104 2.8 
			
			 Coronary heart disease 
			 Former county of Lancashire 3,149 2.2 
			 North West 14,977 2.2 
		
	
	(7) Crude rates per 1,000 population.
	(8) The cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). The codes used are listed below: Cancer (malignant neoplasms)—ICD-10 C00-C97.
	Coronary Heart Disease-ICD-10 I20-I25.
	(9) The former county of Lancashire comprises the current county and the unitary authorities of Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool.
	(10) Usual residents of these areas.
	(11) Deaths occurring in 2002.

Private Finance Initiative

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much capital spending by the private sector there has been or is projected on Private Finance Initiative or associated schemes, using the same departmental analysis as Table C18 of the Budget Report 2003, in each year from 1997–98 to 2005–06, separately distinguishing expenditure on assets that have been or will be accounted for (a) on-balance sheet and (b) off-balance sheet to the public sector client.

Paul Boateng: The value of capital spending by the private sector under signed PFI schemes, listed by Department and by year, is available from the PFI signed projects list on the HM Treasury website. A total of 563 PFI transactions reached financial close by 4 April 2003, with a total capital value of £35.5 billion. The estimated capital value of signed PFI contracts where capital assets are accounted for on departmental balance sheets is £20.2 billion. This represents 57 per cent. of the total estimated capital value.
	Projections of capital spending under signed projects and projects at preferred bidder to 2005–06 are published in Tables C18 and C19 of the Financial Statement and Budget Report 2003.
	PFI contracts where the assets concerned are on departmental balance sheets are reported in departmental accounts, together with disclosure of information relating to any contracts assessed as off balance sheet.

Royal Mint

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the (a) net asset value and (b) annual profitability of the Royal Mint; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: The Royal Mint's net asset value (total assets less current liabilities) as at 31 March 2003 was £63,278,000. Its operating profit (before exceptional items) for the year 2002–03 was £1,285,000.
	During 2003–04 to date there has been a small growth in the Mint's net asset value. The Mint forecast a modest improvement in profitability for 2003–04. This has been achieved largely through cost reductions, particularly in terms of employment costs.
	The 2003–04 Accounts of the Royal Mint Trading Fund together with a Certificate and Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General will be prepared, and laid before Parliament, pursuant to section 4(6) of the Government Trading Funds Act 1973. Until then it would be inappropriate to provide an interim estimate based on unaudited accounts.

Savings Gateway Project

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what interim conclusions he has reached on the Savings Gateway project; and when he will report conclusions to Parliament.

Ruth Kelly: The Saving Gateway pilot final evaluation is due in early 2005. No substantial conclusions can be drawn until we receive the full research findings, however indicators so far are good. The latest interim evaluation report showed that 1,478 accounts had been opened (the maximum was 1,500), and the participants were mostly drawn from young families with children. By the end of August 2003, the total amount saved was £150,000, and there was little evidence that people had transferred money from existing savings accounts or borrowed to save. This report is available on the HM Treasury website.

Savings Gateway Project

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to re-examine the introduction of a Savings Advice Gateway.

Ruth Kelly: The Saving Gateway is being piloted in five locations, four of which are being run in conjunction with the Community Finance and Learning Initiative (CFLI), which is led by the DfES. Part of the remit of the community organisations involved in the CFLI is to provide advice and support to the Saving Gateway participants. The impact of the CFLI is being evaluated alongside the Saving Gateway evaluation. Final evaluation for the Saving Gateway is due in early 2005 and the DfES research findings are due to be published shortly.

Taxation (Self-assessment)

David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer under what circumstances a person who pays tax under PAYE is also required to fill in a self-assessment form.

Dawn Primarolo: A person paying tax under PAYE is also required to fill in a self-assessment return if they are:
	A company director
	An employee paying higher rate tax
	An employee with more complex tax affairs
	A pensioner with more complex tax affairs.

Taxation (Self-assessment)

David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what definitions of (a) employed and (b) self-employed are used by the Inland Revenue for the purpose of a self-assessment form for income tax.

Dawn Primarolo: As set out in the self assessment tax return guide, a taxpayer who receives a self assessment return, has to complete the employment pages if he or she is an employee, or office holder, or director, or agency worker or receiving benefits from a former employer. A taxpayer has to complete the self employed pages if he or she carried on a trade, profession or vocation as a self employed person in the UK or abroad.

Unemployment

Michael Wills: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many (a) males and (b) females aged (i) 21 to 30, (ii) 31 to 40, (iii) 41 to 50 and (iv) 51 to 60 years have been unemployed for (A) less than one month, (B) less than three months, (C) less than six months, (D) six to 12 months and (E) over 12 months;
	(2)  how many people aged (a) 21 to 30, (b) 31 to 40, (c) 41 to 50 and (d) 51 to 60 years are unemployed.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Michael Wills, dated 27 February 2004
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions about numbers of people unemployed by age group and duration of unemployment. (156088 & 156089)
	The attached table shows the available information for the most recent period for which data have been compiled, the three months ending in November 2003.
	This information is derived from the Labour Force survey (LFS). As with any statistical sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to sampling variability.
	
		Number of unemployed adults by sex, age and duration(12) of unemployment: United Kingdom, September to November 2003(13) -- Thousands
		
			  Age group 
			 Group 21–30 31–40 41–50 51–60 
		
		
			 Total unemployed adults 384 306 222 172 
			 Adults unemployed for: 
			 Less than 3 months 201 120 85 56 
			 3 months but less than 6 months 62 57 37 26 
			 6 months but less than 12 months 57 50 36 28 
			 Over 12 months 62 79 64 62 
			  
			 Total unemployed men 244 173 124 107 
			 Men unemployed for: 
			 Less than 3 months 116 55 34 28 
			 3 months but less than 6 months 38 32 19 14 
			 6 months but less than 12 months 43 32 26 18 
			 Over 12 months 46 54 45 46 
			  
			 Total unemployed women 139 133 99 65 
			 Women unemployed for: 
			 Less than 3 months 85 65 51 28 
			 3 months but less than 6 months 24 25 18 12 
			 6 months but less than 12 months 14 18 10 10 
			 Over 12 months 16 25 19 16 
		
	
	(12) Duration of unemployment is defined as the length of time for which a person has been seeking work or the length of time since he or she left their most recent job (whichever is the shorter).
	(13) These estimates are not seasonally adjusted and have not been adjusted to reflect the 2001 Census results.
	Source:
	ONS Labour Force Survey

Valuation Office Agency

James Gray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the vacancy taken up by Miss Ann Grinstead as a non-executive Director of the Valuation Office Agency was advertised; where the vacancy was advertised ; how many applications were received by the Valuation Office for the vacancy; how many candidates were shortlisted; and who the Chairman and the members of the interview panel charged with selecting the successful applicant were.

Dawn Primarolo: Miss Grinstead was appointed an external member of the Valuation Office Agency Management Board with effect from 1 April 2002. The post was filled through the Cabinet Office's Public Appointments list which maintained a list of people interested in appointments of this nature rather than through advertisement. The names of 43 people who had notified their interest were considered, four were short listed and approached, and Miss Grinstead was interviewed for suitability by the Chief Executive of the Agency, Mr. Michael Johns, the Agency's Director of Business Resources, Mrs. Wheatcroft, and the Inland Revenue's sponsor of the Agency at that time, Mr. David Park.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Cyprus

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the current state of the negotiations on the island of Cyprus' future.

Nick Hawkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on progress towards a settlement in Cyprus.

Denis MacShane: Following the UN Secretary-General's 4 February invitation to the parties, and the procedural agreement subsequently reached in New York on 13 February, substantive talks resumed in Nicosia on 19 February.
	These talks, under UN auspices and on the basis of the UN Secretary-General's plan, aim to reach agreement on a settlement that will be put to the two Cypriot communities in separate simultaneous referendums on 21 April.
	The settlement would take effect on the day after it had been approved, thus enabling a united Cyprus to join the European Union on 1 May.
	Initial reports of progress are encouraging. The timetable is tight, and both sides are arguing for changes to the plan on some substantive points. But we hope that the constructive spirit shown by the parties in New York will enable them to reach agreement to their mutual benefit. The UK will continue to give its full support to the UN Secretary-General and to the parties in order to help realise this historic opportunity.

Gibraltar

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the initiative by Spain to challenge the extension of the European franchise to people of Gibraltar, to limit the franchise to European Union citizens in the United Kingdom and Gibraltar and to exclude Commonwealth citizens.

Denis MacShane: We are confident that the European Parliament (Representation) Act is consistent with our EU obligations. A statement by the Commission on 29 October 2003 confirmed that:
	"the UK has organised the extension of voting rights to residents in Gibraltar within the margins of discretion presently given to member states by the EU law".
	We have received no official notification that Spain intends to pursue this case to the European Court of Justice. We would defend any such case.

Israel

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 19 January 2004, Official Report, column 924W, to the right hon. Member for Suffolk, Coastal (Mr. Gummer), when Israel first tested a nuclear explosive device.

Denis MacShane: Israel has never announced it has tested a nuclear explosive device.

Sri Lanka

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action the Government are taking to encourage the Sri Lankan authorities to give full protection to religious minorities in Sri Lanka.

Mike O'Brien: We are concerned about reports of discrimination against religious minorities in Sri Lanka and regularly raise this, and other human rights issues, with the Sri Lankan Government. On 27 January 2004, our High Commissioner in Colombo discussed our concerns about a possible Anti-conversion Bill with the Minister for Hindu Affairs. We will continue to look to the Government of Sri Lanka to protect the rights to freedom of religion enshrined in the Sri Lankan constitution.

US Non-proliferation Initiative

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what response Her Majesty's Government have made to the global non-proliferation and counter-proliferation initiative President Bush announced on 11 February.

Denis MacShane: The Government welcome moves to counter the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and to strengthen, and achieve universal adherence to, the Treaties and Conventions against such proliferation.
	I refer my hon. Friend to the written statement made on 25 February by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Asylum and Immigration

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the statement made by the hon. Member for Stretford and Urmston (Beverley Hughes) in Standing Committee on 27 January 2004, Official Report, columns 446–47, how many failed asylum seekers have left the UK in each year since 1999; what the evidential basis was for the Minister's assertion that Migration Watch UK's assumptions are spurious; what steps are being taken to ensure recent increases in work permit numbers are short-term; what proportion of the estimated population increase between (a) 2001 to 2026, (b) 2003 to 2026 and (c) 2002 to 2031 is attributable to net immigration; and to what less than 0.3 per cent. refers.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 25 February 2004
	The following table contains the number of asylum seekers who have been removed from the UK in each year since 1999, including those departing voluntarily after enforcement action had been initiated against them and persons departing under the Assisted Voluntary Return Programmes run by the International Organisation for Migration. The figures do not include those who have departed voluntarily under their own means without informing the Government.
	
		Asylum removals 1999 to 2003(14)
		
			  Principal applicants Dependants Total 
		
		
			 1999 7,655 n/a n/a 
			 2000 8,980 n/a n/a 
			 2001(15) 9,285 1,495 10,780 
			 2002(16) 10,740 3,170 13,910 
			 2003(16) 12,490 4,550 17,040 
		
	
	n/a = Data on dependants removed have only been collected since April 2001.
	(14) Includes persons departing voluntarily after enforcement action had been initiated against them and persons departing under the Assisted Voluntary Return Programmes run by the IOM.
	(15) Data on dependants are for April to December only.
	(16) Provisional data.
	Note:
	Data are rounded to nearest five and may not sum due to rounding.
	The population projections produced by the Government Actuary's Department (GAD) are part of National Statistics and are covered by the National Statistics Code of Practice. This means that they are completely independent and produced to the highest professional principals and standards. We believe that this, along with access to the most relevant and up to date information captured by the Home Office's statistical branch and the Office for National Statistics, makes GAD's assumptions more credible than those of groups such as Migration Watch UK. I have written to Sir Andrew Green of Migration Watch UK setting out why the assumptions produced by his group are incorrect.
	Work permits are issued in respect of posts which UK-based employers are unable to fill with suitably qualified resident workers and, except in the case of the Sectors Based Scheme for low skilled workers, are not subject to any numerical ceiling on the number of permits issued. Work Permits (UK), which administers these arrangements, seeks to ensure that the criteria for the issuing of work permits are responsive to changes in labour market conditions. The work permit arrangements are demand-led and the overall number of work permit applications in either the short or long-term will be dictated by the extent to which UK-based employers are able to fill vacancies with suitably qualified workers.
	In his latest (2002-based) projections for the UK, the Government Actuary projects that (a) between 2001 and 2026 total population growth will be 5.1 million, of which total net inward migration is assumed to be 3.3 million; (b) between 2003 and 2026 total population growth will be 4.8 million, of which total net inward migration is assumed to be 3.0 million and; (c) between 2002 and 2031 total population growth will be 5.6 million, of which total net inward migration is assumed to be 3.8 million.
	My reference to "less than 0.3 per cent." (Standing Committee, Official Report, column 447) should have been to the average population increase per annum. I am happy to take this opportunity to clarify this point for the record.

Citizenship/Naturalisation

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of applications for (a) naturalisation and (b) citizenship that will be made between January and the implementation of the sections of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 that require knowledge of life in the UK and language.

Beverley Hughes: New applications for all types of citizenship have increased since the publication of the final report of the "Life in the UK" Advisory Group in September 2003. Current trends indicate that application rates, which have fallen slightly since 1 January, will continue at the present level until the implementation of the relevant provisions of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002. Forecast figures are not routinely published.

Drug Treatment

Paul Stinchcombe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many places are available in residential drug treatment services in England; and how many were available in each of the previous five years.

Melanie Johnson: I have been asked to reply.
	The Department does not collect annual figures centrally on the number of places available in residential drug treatment in England.
	However, as part of the consultation exercise leading up to the implementation of the National Minimum Care Standards, a survey was commissioned by the Department at the end of 2000 to establish the number of places within the residential drugs and alcohol sector collectively. This survey showed that at the end of 2000 there were approximately 3,100 residential care places in England.

Sex Offenders

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the availability of residential treatment for sex offenders in the community.

Paul Goggins: We are actively considering the need for, and feasibility of, such facilities as part of a national accommodation strategy for offenders.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Police

Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many students have been sent down from (a) the current intake and (b) each of the preceding three intakes to the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

Jane Kennedy: No recruits have been sent down from the groups of trainees taken into the Police College on 8 February 2004, 4 January 2003, 23 November 2003 or 19 October 2003.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Ballast Plc

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will establish an occupational pension rescue package for the former employees of Ballast plc following the company's liquidation; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: The Government remains sympathetic to all those people who will not receive the pension they worked so hard to build up for their future retirement. Ministers have been meeting those affected by pension losses in order to understand their plight and to listen to suggestions regarding assistance ahead of the Pension Protection Fund's introduction.
	We are examining closely all the suggestions that have been put to us but, given all these workers' anxieties, which we understand, we owe it to those affected to do that without raising their expectations.
	They must know that we have been absolutely straight with them all along. If it is not possible to do anything, as might ultimately be the case, they need to know that that has been the position from the outset. At the same time, we should not prematurely close off the opportunity of assistance if we can identify a proper basis on which it can be done.

Direct Payment Benefits

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are receiving benefits into post office card accounts, broken down by (a) Child Benefit, (b) veterans agency payments, (c) pensions and (d) Jobcentre Plus payments.

Chris Pond: holding answer 26 February 2004
	All the information is not available in the format requested.
	Information available for the latest available date of 24 January 2004 is given as follows from IAD Information Centre.
	The number of Post Office Card Accounts receiving payments of State Pension and Pension Credit is 125,205.
	The number of Post Office Card Accounts receiving payments from Jobcentre Plus is 140,854.
	Child Benefit accounts are now the responsibility of Inland Revenue. War Pension accounts are now the responsibility of the Ministry of Defence and are not included in these figures.
	As many customers have already supplied their account details it is expected that the figures for Direct Payment into bank or building society accounts and Post Office card accounts will quickly rise, as customers existing methods of payment expire, and they move over to payment being made direct into their nominated account.
	Source:
	DWP IAD Information Centre

EU Accession Countries

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what plans he has to provide support to citizens of EU accession states working within the UK when they cease employment, from 1 May onwards;
	(2)  what plans he has to provide support for families of citizens of EU accession states working within the UK when they cease employment, from 1 May onwards;
	(3)  what plans he has to allow citizens of EU accession states to claim, from 1 May onwards, (a) Working Tax Credit, (b) Child Tax Credit, (c) Child Benefit, (d) Disability Living Allowance, (e) Incapacity Benefit, (f) Income Support, (g) Carer's Allowance, (h) Jobseeker's Allowance, (i) Housing Benefit, (j) Council Tax Benefit and (k) minimum income guarantee while (i) living and (ii) working in the United Kingdom.

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when citizens of EU accession states working in the UK will be entitled to claim (a) Housing Benefit, (b) Child Benefit, (c) Income Support, (d) Jobseeker's Allowance and (e) Working Tax Credit.

Chris Pond: Our intention is to introduce legislation so that the accession state nationals who are in the UK but who cannot find work, or will not work, will not have access to Income Support, income based Jobseekers Allowance, Pension Credit, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit. After 12 months of working legally without interruption, citizens of EU accession states will be entitled to the full range of UK benefits. Tax credits and Child Benefit will be available to those citizens of EU accession states who are working legally in the UK; Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit may also be available to those workers on low income.
	Incapacity Benefit and contribution-based Jobseekers Allowance are contributory benefits. People who have not lived and worked in the UK will not have paid National Insurance contributions and therefore will not normally have entitlement to these benefits.
	For Disability Living Allowance and Carers Allowance, a person must have been resident for 26 out of the previous 52 weeks. However, time spent in another EEA or EU country may in some cases be treated as a period in the UK for the purpose of determining entitlement.

Pension Credit

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners are claiming pension credit in (a) Vale of Clwyd constituency and (b) each ward in the County of Denbighshire; how many pensioners he estimates are entitled to claim pension credit but have not done so in each case; and what the average amount claimed by pensioners in the Vale of Clwyd is.

Malcolm Wicks: The information is not available in the form requested. Numbers of Pension Credit recipients and average levels of award for (a) the Vale of Clwyd and (b) Denbighshire are given in the table. Numbers of recipients are not currently available at ward level. Estimates of the number of eligible households are not available at constituency, local authority area or ward level. However, we estimate that there are approximately 250,000 pensioner households in Wales likely to be eligible for Pension Credit.
	
		Pension Credit recipients in Vale of Clwyd and Denbighshire, 31January 2004
		
			  Households Individuals Average weekly award per household (£) 
		
		
			 Vale of Clwyd 3,965 4,900 44.96 
			 Parliamentary constituency
			 Denbighshire 4,810 5,920 44.66 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Numbers of recipients have been rounded to the nearest five.
	2. Average weekly awards have been rounded to the nearest penny.
	3. Numbers of recipients exclude small numbers of clerical cases. At 31 January there were approximately 400 such cases in Wales.
	4. Average weekly awards refer to the amount received by households, which may be a single person or a couple.

Pensioner Population

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the pensioner population is in (a) the East Midlands and (b) England.

Malcolm Wicks: pursuant to his reply, 23 February 2004, c. 320W
	The figures requested are in the following table.
	
		
			  Pensioner population 
		
		
			 East Midlands 784,000 
			 England 9,119,000 
		
	
	Note:
	1. The figures are from the mid-year population figures, 2002
	2. Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand
	3. 'Pensioner' is defined as those over state pension age
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics

Pensions (Northern Ireland)

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how the Pensions Bill will affect people in Northern Ireland; and whether there will be any assistance to those who have lost out in pension schemes in the past.

Malcolm Wicks: Pensions legislation is a devolved matter to Northern Ireland. The provisions of the Pensions Bill therefore generally extend only to Great Britain. The exceptions to this are set out in clause 246, which specifies the provisions that also extend to Northern Ireland. These include those establishing the two new Non-Departmental Public Bodies, The Pensions Regulator and the Board of the Pension Protection Fund, which—as currently with the Occupational Pensions Regulatory Authority and the Pensions Compensation Board—will operate throughout the United Kingdom, but with functions relating to Northern Ireland conferred by Northern Ireland legislation.
	Clause 247 allows provision corresponding to the Pensions Bill to be made for Northern Ireland by Order in Council subject to negative resolution.
	The Government remains sympathetic to all those people who will not receive the pension they worked so hard to build up for their future retirement. Ministers have been meeting those affected by pension losses in order to understand their plight and to listen to suggestions regarding assistance ahead of the Pension Protection Fund's introduction.
	We are exploring all the suggestions that have been put to us and are considering them in depth. But there are complex arguments on both sides so we need to consider very carefully what the appropriate course of action should be.
	It would be very cruel to raise expectations for these people who have suffered such a dramatic blow to their security in retirement, if we cannot then provide assistance.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Post Office Accounts

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether interest will be paid on Post Office accounts opened for the purpose of benefit payments under the automated credit transfer system.

Stephen Timms: I understand that interest will not be paid on Post Office card accounts. The Post Office card account is a deliberately simple financial product developed by Post Office Ltd. on behalf of Government to cater exclusively for those customers in receipt of pensions, benefits and tax credits who do not have or choose not to use a commercial bank account.

Broadband/Mobile Phones

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry with whom she has held discussions on her strategy to encourage growth in the broadband and third-generation mobile phone sectors.

Stephen Timms: Since launching the broadband strategy to have the most competitive and extensive broadband market in the G7 by 2005 in 2001, discussions have been held with a wide range of stakeholders throughout the broadband value chain involving the full range of technologies. These discussions were usually held through the Broadband Stakeholder Group, which was established to advise the Government on the development and implementation of a strategy to achieve this target and provide a focal point for stakeholders to address both short and long-term issues related to the deployment and take-up of broadband services. The Government values the work of the Broadband Stakeholder Group and the contribution it has made to the successful deployment of broadband in the UK.

Broadband/Mobile Phones

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what strategy she is pursuing to encourage growth in the broadband and third-generation mobile phone sectors; and if she will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The primary focus of the Government's strategy is to meet the needs of end-users through the promotion of competition at all levels in the value chain in terms of quality, choice of broadband services and value for money. This means the effective and sustainable competition in the provision of broadband networks and services and a regulatory framework that is conducive to further investment and rollout to all areas of the United Kingdom. The third generation mobile phone sector offers not only increased competition and greater consumer choice; it will also provide a true mobile broadband service for individuals and businesses alike.
	The Government's policy in licensing spectrum early for the third generation mobile phone sector has enabled the UK along with Italy to launch the first services in Europe. The auction of third generation licences enabled a new entrant, Hutchinson 3G, to enter the market and provide increased competition. The licence condition for third generation mobile phone operators will ensure that at least 80 per cent. of the UK population will be covered by third generation services by 2007.

Business Link

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her answer of 6 February 2004, Official Report, column 1090W, on business link operators, which are the five business link operators referred to as seriously underperforming; and if she will give their (a) performance results and (b) budget for each year since their establishment.

Nigel Griffiths: Of the five business link operators, three (BL Derbyshire, BL Tees Valley and BL Bedfordshire and Luton) did not have their contracts automatically extended and were required to undergo a business performance review. The remaining two operators (Cambridge Business Services and Sussex Enterprise) were only required to undergo business performance reviews.
	The performance results for the five operators as at the end of Quarter 3 in 2002–03 and their performance results for each full year since the business link network was re-engineered in 2001–02, are as follows:
	
		(a)Quarter 3 2002–03 Performance Results -- Percentage
		
			  Market penetration (businesses helped as a proportion of the inter Departmental Business Register) Customer Satisfaction(April to September 2002 survey) 
		
		
			 BL Derbyshire 12.2 76.0 
			 BL Tees Valley 25.1 71.3 
			 BL Bedfordshire and Luton 8.8 78.4 
			 Cambridgeshire Business Services 9.5 75.6 
			 Sussex Enterprise 11.8 85.7 
		
	
	
		(b)Performance Results at each year end since 2001–02 -- Percentage
		
			  2001–02 2002–03 
		
		
			 Market Penetration 
			 BL Derbyshire 18.1 15.5 
			 BL Tees Valley 26.1 29.4 
			 BL Bedfordshire and Luton 10.1 12.3 
			 Cambridgeshire Business Services 9.8 11.4 
			 Sussex Enterprise 18.0 15.5 
		
	
	
		Percentage
		
			  2001–02(17) 2002–03(18) 
		
		
			 Customer Satisfaction 
			 BL Derbyshire 77.4 83.1 
			 BL Tees Valley 81.7 78.2 
			 BL Bedfordshire and Luton 89.2 82.4 
			 Cambridgeshire Business Services 82.1 75.5 
			 Sussex Enterprise 86.6 79.5 
		
	
	(17) October 2001 to March 2002 survey
	(18) October 2002 to March 2003 survey
	Since SBS took action to address underperformance last year all five business link operators have, following their business performance reviews, taken effective action to address their problems and have all subsequently achieved significant improvements in their performance.
	The performance improvements registered by BL Derbyshire, BL Tees Valley and BL Bedfordshire and Luton have been sufficient enough for SBS to extend their contracts to the full three years with effect from April 2004.

Cancun Agreements

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on her policy regarding (a) the Cancun agreements on trade and (b) bilateral agreements.

Patricia Hewitt: There are welcome signs that the DDA negotiations could make significant progress in 2004. I welcome the recent appointment of WTO chairs, which should instil fresh impetus to these negotiations following the disappointing conclusion to the Cancun ministerial.
	While bilateral agreements have a complementary role to play in promoting closer political, social and economic co-operation, the UK firmly believes that the biggest gains to the global economy would come from securing a successful outcome to the current round of WTO multilateral trade negotiations. This will ensure a global framework for free and fair trade, providing increased opportunity and prosperity for developed and developing countries alike.

Cyber-terrorism

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps are being taken to deal with the threats to UK businesses from cyber-terrorism.

Stephen Timms: Policy on the protection of the UK from terrorist attack is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary. The Department contributes to the overall goal of protecting UK interests from electronic attack by seeking to improve the information security management of UK business. We do this by promoting relevant research and our innovation activities which seek to promote the adoption of new technologies such as biometrics. In particular, we have worked for many years on the identification and promotion of management best practice, we have regularly surveyed the nature of the problems and the solutions adopted and have a suite of material aimed at demystifying the subject for smaller companies working on-line.

F-16 Fighter Jets

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many head-up display units have been supplied to the United States for incorporation into F-16 fighter jets since 2000; how many of these jets were destined for Israel; and if she will make a statement.

Nigel Griffiths: The DTI is responsible for holding information only on licences we have issued.
	From March 2003, information on whether goods were for incorporation has been recorded on the DTI Export Control Organisation's (ECO) databases. Information prior to this can be obtained only at disproportionate cost, via a manual search of licensing files.
	Statistics on incorporation cases will be published in the Government's 2003 Annual Report on Strategic Export Controls later this year.

Fish

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her answer of 11 February 2004, Official Report, column 1476W, on fish, what the application numbers of the two transgenic fish referred to are.

Patricia Hewitt: Of the two applications referred to, one has been published and its number is GB 2377221. The other application is not due to be published until 17 August 2004, and under UK patent law it remains confidential until that time.
	Details of published applications can be found via the espacenet database which can be reached via our website http://www.patent.gov.uk/patent/dbase/espacc.htm

Military Equipment (Exports)

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the (a) amount and (b) make of (i) handguns, (ii) ammunition, (iii) weapons sights and (iv) gun mountings exported to Jamaica under licences granted during 2001; and if she will make a statement.

Nigel Griffiths: The DTI is responsible for holding information only on the licences we have issued.
	Details of all export licences granted for Jamaica in 2001 were published in the Government's 2001 Annual Report on Strategic Export Controls, copies of which are available from the Libraries of the House.

Military Equipment (Exports)

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many (a) Scorpion tanks, (b) Saracen Light Vehicles and (c) Hawk jets have been supplied to Indonesia since 1997; and if she will make a statement.

Nigel Griffiths: The DTI is responsible for holding information only on the licences we have issued.
	Since May 1997, the Government has published an Annual Report on Strategic Export Controls containing details of all goods authorised for export from the UK and to which destinations. Copies of the Annual Report (up to and including 2002) are available from the Libraries of the House. Details of export licences approved in 2003 will be published later this year in the 2003 Annual Report, and for 2004, similarly in the 2004 Report next year.

Military Equipment (Exports)

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many of the rifles licensed for export to Nepal in 2001 were delivered; to whom; by whom they were manufactured; and if she will make a statement.

Nigel Griffiths: The DTI is responsible for holding information only on the licences we have issued.
	Details of all export licences granted for Nepal in 2001 were published in the Government's 2001 Annual Report on Strategic Export Controls, copies of which are available from the Libraries of the House.
	Information on manufacturers and end-users of equipment licensed for export is commercially confidential and is exempt from disclosure under the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Military Equipment (Exports)

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry for what reasons 6,780 rifles licensed for export to Nepal in 2001 were not mentioned in table 4, Part III of the 2001 and 2002 annual report on Statistics on Exports of Military Equipment; and if she will make a statement.

Nigel Griffiths: The Annual Report table, 'Statistics on Exports of Military equipment', provides details on the number of weapons and small arms that have actually been exported from the UK, by destination, in that year. HM Customs & Excise have checked their records and have no record of these rifles being exported.

Military Equipment (Exports)

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the (a) items, (b) quantities and (c) end use conditions attached to military exports to Nepal exported under licences granted during 2001 and listed in the Strategic Export Controls Annual Report 2001; and if she will make a statement.

Nigel Griffiths: The 2001 Annual Report on Strategic Export Controls contains summaries of all export licences granted for Nepal in 2001, and describes the items licensed.
	Quantities of goods exported are in the case of small arms and weapons licensed under SIELs (table 5 of the Annual Report).
	End-use conditions imposed on licences are confidential and not disclosed in the Annual Report.

Personal Computers

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her answer of 19 January 2004, Official Report, column 1041W, on personal computers, what steps she is taking to assess the (a) take-up and (b) effectiveness of the annual tax exemption on loaned computers; and what assessment will be undertaken following the recently published guidelines for employers.

Dawn Primarolo: I have been asked to reply.
	The Office for National Statistics have included extra questions in their quarterly internet access survey to assess consumer awareness and take up of Home Computing Initiatives (HCI) which use the annual tax exemption on loaned computers. Industry partners are also conducting tracking which the Office of the e-Envoy and the Department of Trade and Industry will use as part of their overall assessment. The impact of HCI schemes on levels of home computer penetration and internet access will also be monitored on an ongoing basis.

Post Offices

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether she plans to provide hon. and right hon. Members with a rationale for the proposed area plan in those areas that (a) are involved in and (b) have undergone post office closure programmes.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 26 February 2004
	No, these are operational matters for Post Office Limited. The changes to the consultation arrangements announced in my Written Statement of 5 February were not retrospective in effect.

Post Offices

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether information from local authorities on infrastructure and regeneration projects already made available to Post Office Limited will be taken into account when determining closure proposals on post offices where no final decision has yet been reached.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 26 February 2004
	Yes. The changes to the consultation arrangements announced in my Written Statement of 5 February took immediate effect.

Post Offices

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many (a) rural and (b) urban post offices have closed in Lancashire since 1997, broken down by constituency.

Stephen Timms: I am advised by Post Office Ltd. that data on post office closures is not available in the form requested as the company does not require this data for its operational purposes.
	Before March 2000, Post Office Ltd. maintained records of net closures on a nationwide basis only and these were as follows:
	1997–98: 243
	1998–99: 233
	1999–2000: 382
	Post Office Ltd. has recorded details of the total number of post office closures in the United Kingdom, by Government region and urban/rural classification from March 2000.
	
		
			  Region: North West 
			 Year Urban Rural 
		
		
			 2000–01 11 28 
			 2001–02 9 +4 
			 2002–03 25 12 
		
	
	Post Office Ltd. produces information on post office closures on a quarterly basis. There were 88 net urban post office closures and 11 net rural closures in the North West region in the nine months to the end of December 2003, the latest quarter for which figures are currently available.
	Since the commencement of the urban reinvention programme in October 2002, there have been a total of 92 urban closures under the programme in the North West region.

Renewable Energy

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the contribution of renewable energy to the energy policy.

Stephen Timms: The Government have set the target of obtaining 10 per cent. of our electricity from renewable sources by 2010, with the aspiration of doubling this by 2020. Towards achieving such expansion, I announced in December the Government's intention to extend the rising profile of Renewables Obligation by further annual stages beyond 2010–11 to reach 15.4 per cent. by 2015–16.
	Renewable energy will make an important contribution to the Government's wider climate change programme. It is estimated that increased renewable energy generation will deliver additional carbon savings of some 2.5 million tonnes of carbon per year by 2010, and of a further 3–5 million tonnes of carbon per year above that by 2020.
	Renewable energy also adds to the diversity of sources from which the UK derives electricity, which is important for maintaining reliable supplies.

Royal Mail

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many employees work for the Royal Mail; and if she will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: As stated in Royal Mail Holdings Plc.'s interim report for the half year ended 28 September 2003, published on 13 November 2003, there were 208,000 people employed within the company's UK operations.

Royal Mail

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people work for Royal Mail in Lancashire.

Stephen Timms: The number of people employed by Royal Mail in Lancashire is an operational matter that falls within the responsibility of the Royal Mail Board. I have therefore asked the Chief Executive to reply direct to the hon. Member.

DEFENCE

Airfield Support Services

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 6 February 2004, Official Report, column 1103W, how the public private partnership scheme for Airfield Support Services will be adjudicated, with regard to comparison of (a) overall costs and (b) total manpower; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The way forward in respect of the Airfield Support Services Project will be determined on the basis of what offers best value for money to the Ministry of Defence, without compromising operational capability and/or safety. In doing so, full and proper account will be taken of all the relevant factors in a fair and equitable manner, including overall costs and the total manpower requirements necessary to deliver the requirement.

Anglo-French Battle Groups

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements he will put in place for providing the necessary enabling personnel for the Anglo-French battle groups.

Geoff Hoon: There are no plans to form UK-French battle groups. There is, however, a UK/French/German proposal to develop European capabilities in support of the EU's ability to undertake rapid crisis response operations. This advances the UK-French Summit declaration made on 24 November, and the UN's demand for more rapid reaction peacekeeping forces. As part of the Helsinki Headline Goal, EU member states agreed to develop rapid response elements available and deployable at very high readiness.
	The proposal being discussed by EU member states is to create battle group-sized forces (approximately 1,500 strong including Combat Support and Combat Service Support), deployable within 15 days, and sustainable for 30 days (but extendable up to 120 days). The target date for such forces to be available is 2007, and they will be designed for compatibility with typical UN Chapter VII mandates (to restore international peace and security). EU member states would be able to offer such formations individually—as is likely to be the case for the UK—or on a multinational basis, from existing forces. The concept will be developed coherently and transparently with the NATO Response Force. This initiative is compatible with current UK force structures and the UK's Joint Rapid Reaction Force, which already includes a number of very high readiness battlegroup formations. It is not envisaged that any additional military or civilian personnel will be required.

Armed Forces Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on his plans to raise the normal retirement age for members of the armed forces; what estimate he has made of the savings from raising the pension age to 65; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: We have no plans to raise the normal retirement age for members of the armed forces from the current age of 55. This reflects the continuing fitness requirements for most of those who serve a full career in the armed forces. For the future, the age at which the preserved pension is paid to those leaving before age 55 will be deferred from the current age of 60 to age 65. This will affect both the current and the new schemes. We have not decided when to make the change to the existing scheme. The saving from the change to the preserved pension age in the new scheme is some £50 million a year and has been used to fund unmarried partners benefits and improved death-in-service benefits, as well as contributing to the costs of increased longevity. The right under the current scheme to take an Immediate Pension from age 38 with 16 years service (Officers) or age 40 with 22 years service (Other Ranks) is not affected.

Commandos (Winter Weather Training)

Adrian Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the dates on which (a) 40 Commando Brigade, (b) 42 Commando Brigade and (c) 45 Commando Brigade carried out winter weather training in Norway since 1990.

Adam Ingram: This information is not held centrally and it has not therefore been possible in the time available to provide an answer. Work is in hand to collate the details requested. I will write to the hon. Member when that work is complete and a copy of my reply will be placed in the Library of the House.

Commandos (Winter Weather Training)

Adrian Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Royal Marines of 3 Commando Brigade were in Norway on cold weather exercise in January and February, broken down by commando unit.

Adam Ingram: The following details the number of 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines personnel, which includes personnel from the Royal Marines, Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force, broken down by unit 1 , who have deployed on Winter Deployment 04 at any time between January and February 2004:
	a. 40 Commando RM: 604
	b. 42 Commando RM: 590
	c. Headquarters 3 Commando Brigade RM and Landing Force Command Support Group: 422
	d. 539 Assault Squadron RM: 118
	e. Commando Logistics Regiment: 335
	f. 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery: 322
	g. 59 Independent Commando Engineer Sqn RE: 141
	1 Units at a, b and c are predominantly RM personnel. Unit e has a large number of Army and RN ranks. Units at f and g are entirely Army personnel.

Commandos (Winter Weather Training)

Adrian Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Royal Marines of 3 Commando Brigade have been sent home early from Norway due to lack of medical fitness owing to cold weather illnesses; and what the attributable cause of the illnesses was in each case.

Adam Ingram: As at 24 February, 78 members of 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines had been evacuated to the UK owing to cold weather illness/injury. This is not unusual during a Winter Deployment compared against previous historical data. Changes to Health and Safety regulations however, have reduced the threshold at which those suffering cold weather injuries are sent home. Previously many would have been treated in theatre and returned to training.
	A full analysis of the precise nature of these injuries will not be completed for some time. This is because, to provide a useful assessment of the injury, examination has to take place three months after the initial injury. The earliest date medical assessments can begin is May. It is anticipated that all casualties will have been examined by the end of June 2004.
	Initial feedback from theatre does, however, indicate that the cause of these cold injuries is varied. There is no evidence of one particular cause of cold weather injuries or of any specific equipment deficiencies.
	None is directly attributable to sleeping bags, contrary to recent press speculation.

Commandos (Winter Weather Training)

Adrian Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether cold weather sleeping bags are issued to Royal Marines of 3 Commando Brigade on winter weather training in Norway.

Adam Ingram: Royal Marines of 3 Commando Brigade on winter training in Norway are issued with sleeping bags that form part of a 'sleeping system'. It comprises a Gortex outer bag, a sleeping bag and a roll mat. The system is designed for use in a range of temperatures, including those sub-zero temperatures experienced in the Arctic. No Royal Marine on this Winter Deployment has related a cold weather injury to any perceived failing in the sleeping system.

Formation Readiness Cycle

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his letter of 21 February, on the formation readiness cycle, whether the formation readiness cycle has met the delivery aims set out in the Strategic Defence Review.

Geoff Hoon: The formation readiness cycle (FRC) provides a framework for the existing six non-specialist brigades in which readiness and commitments can be programmed, and resources can be matched to levels of collective training.
	The FRC is a predictable, symmetric force generation mechanism, designed to generate fully trained and appropriately equipped forces that are ready to deploy and remain sustainable throughout operations.
	Overall, the FRC has served us well, and has enabled us to meet a variety of commitments, as laid out in the Strategic Defence Review. As we explained in the recent White Paper we are examining possible changes to the current and future capabilities of the armed forces, and supporting infrastructure, required to deliver a network enabled capability. Part of this work will be to consider the effect these changes will have on the FRC.

Gulf War

Brian H Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many Gulf War veterans of the 1990–91 campaign are estimated to be suffering from auto-immune induced osteoporosis;
	(2)  what plans he has to introduce (a) a compensation scheme and (b) additional pension entitlement for Gulf War veterans of the 1990–91 campaign who are suffering from auto-immune induced osteoporosis.

Ivor Caplin: There is no clinical evidence to support an autoimmune basis for osteoporosis and therefore the Ministry of Defence has no plan to introduce a related compensation scheme or additional pension entitlement. In respect of the prevalence of osteoporosis, I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Blaenau Gwent (Llew Smith) on 27 January 2004, Official Report, columns 245–46W.

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements have been put in place in the southern sector of Iraq under British control to secure (a) state assets and (b) archaeological sites; and what discussions he has had with (i) his United States counterpart and (ii) the Administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority on the lessons learned from securing sites and assets, including ministries, in the United States-controlled sector.

Adam Ingram: Initially, coalition forces were committed to securing and protecting a wide variety of key cultural and public assets and sites across Iraq. However, as Iraqi authorities have steadily regained capability, they have taken on increasing responsibility for securing and protecting their own assets and sites (administrative, economic and cultural). While coalition forces remain on hand to assist and support those elements of the Iraqi Security Forces involved in this work, the day-to-day security of these assets and sites is now, as it should be, in the hands of Iraqis.
	In the course of discussions with my US counterpart and the CPA, we keep arrangements for the security and protection of key cultural and public assets under review.

Iraq

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the timing of the completion of the Status of Force Agreement for British troops in Iraq.

Adam Ingram: The arrangements under which British forces will remain in Iraq after 30 June 2004 are still under discussion.

Iraq

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the numbers of British service personnel based in Iraq.

Adam Ingram: There are currently around 8,000 UK service personnel serving in Iraq.

RM Condor

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) civilians and (b) service personnel are based in RM Condor in Angus.

Ivor Caplin: When 45 Commando Royal Marines and 7 Commando Battery are not deployed, the total scheme of complement for units based at RM Condor is 835 military personnel and 54 MOD civil servants.

HEALTH

Abortion/Cancer

Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the link between induced abortion and breast cancer.

Melanie Johnson: The Government believe that any woman considering an abortion must have all the facts to make an informed decision. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) guidance, "The care of women requesting induced abortion" (2000), states that professionals involved in abortion care should be equipped to provide women with information on the long-term effects of abortion which are rare or unproven, including breast cancer.
	The RCOG is in the process of updating its guidance. It has carried out an extensive review of the literature and concluded that the evidence shows that induced abortion is not associated with an increase in the risk of breast cancer.
	A similar review of recent evidence has taken place in the United States, where the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists also concluded that there was no evidence in the body of medical research to suggest any causal link between abortion and breast cancer 1 .
	Cancer Research UK is undertaking a study of the risk factors associated with breast cancer, including a further international review of the research evidence on abortion and breast cancer. The results of this study will be made available when completed.
	1 International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, November 2003.

Ambulance Service

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many 999 calls in the Mersey Regional Ambulance Service area have been answered by the Greater Manchester Ambulance Service in each of the last 12 months;
	(2)  how many 999 calls in the Greater Manchester Ambulance Service area have been answered by the Mersey Regional Ambulance Service in each of the last 12 months.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 26 February 2004
	The information is not collected centrally.

Ambulance Service

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many times in the past six months ambulance services have had 999 calls passed to them by BT operators who were unable to connect calls to the Mersey Regional Ambulance Service;
	(2)  what discussions have taken place between BT and the Mersey Regional Ambulance Service since November on improving the handling of 999 calls.

Melanie Johnson: The information is not collected centrally. These are matters which are the responsibility of the Mersey Regional Ambulance Service National Health Service Trust.

Ancillary Medicine Workers

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) nurses, (b) midwives, (c) nursing assistants and (d) professionals ancillary to medicine were employed in the area of each primary care trust in the North East in (i) 1997 and (ii) the most recent year for which figures are available.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 23 February 2004
	Information on the numbers of nurses, midwives, nursing assistants and professionals ancillary to medicine in the North East for 1997 and 2002 are shown in the following tables.
	
		NHS hospital and community health services: Qualified nursing including Practice Nurses employed by Unrestricted Principals and equivalents (UPEs)(19) and Allied Health Professionals in the North East Government Office Region and each specified Strategic Health Authority and organisation as at 30September 1997 -- Headcount
		
			   Total Qualified Nursing(20) Of which: Qualified Midwives Nursing Assistants Allied Health Professionals 
		
		
			  North East Government Office Region 18,390 1,774 7,364 2,323 
			   
			 Q09 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear SHA 10,866 699 4,681 1,370 
			 RAB Freeman Group of Hospitals NHS Trust 1,060 0 56 125 
			 RCK Royal Victoria Infirmary NHS Trust 2,185 226 509 243 
			 RE2 Gateshead Hospitals NHS Trust 687 91 266 93 
			 RES Northumberland Mental Health NHS Trust 290 0 177 31 
			 RE9 South Tyneside Healthcare NHS Trust 905 88 337 113 
			 RLC North Tyneside Health Care NHS Trust 763 82 325 128 
			 RLH Priority Healthcare Wearside NHS Trust 569 0 405 6 
			 RLK Cheviot and Wansbeck NHS Trust 646 86 309 108 
			 RLM Northumberland Community Health NHS Trust 423 0 120 39 
			 RLN City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Trust 1,238 126 511 219 
			 RM6 Northgate and Prudhoe NHS Trust 357 0 840 22 
			 RM7 Gateshead Healthcare NHS Trust 444 0 332 51 
			 RNM Newcastle City Health NHS Trust 896 0 494 192 
		
	
	(19) UPEs include GMS Unrestricted Principals, PMS Contracted GPs and PMS Salaried GPs.
	Note:
	Totals include Practice Nurses working in these SHA areas.
	Source:
	Department of Health non-Medical Workforce Census/Department of Health General and Personal Medical Services Statistics.
	Due to changes in the structure of the NHS it is not possible to give an exact breakdown on a one to one basis between the PCTs geographic area and their former organisations.
	
		NHS hospital and community health services: Qualified nursing including Practice Nurses employed by Unrestricted Principals and equivalents (UPEs)(20) and Allied Health Professionals in the North East Government Office Region and each specified Strategic Health Authority and organisation as at 30September 2002 -- Headcount
		
			   Total Qualified Nursing(21) Of which: Qualified Midwives Nursing Assistants Allied Health Professionals 
		
		
			  
			  
			  North East Government Office Region 21,504 1,241 9,339 2,874 
			   
			 Q09 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear SHA 12,857 675 6,257 1,696 
			 5D7 Newcastle PCT 564 0 118 77 
			 5D8 North Tyneside PCT 267 0 73 12 
			 5KF Gateshead PCT 334 0 65 74 
			 5KG South Tyneside PCT 257 1 46 19 
			 5KL Sunderland Teaching PCT 463 0 83 1 
			 RE9 South Tyneside Health Care NHS Trust 615 99 370 124 
			 RLN City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Trust 1,475 121 784 237 
			 RM6 Northgate and Prudhoe NHS Trust 386 0 1,191 72 
			 RNP Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland Mental Health NHS Trust 960 0 685 156 
			 RR7 Gateshead Health NHS Trust 943 96 329 134 
			 RTD Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust 3,616 184 1,086 383 
			 RTF Northumbria Health Care NHS Trust 1,659 174 910 297 
			 RVK North East Ambulance Service NHS Trust 89 0 0 0 
			 RW9 South of Tyne and Wearside Mental Health NHS Trust 803 0 441 33 
			 TAC Northumberland Care Trust 426 0 76 77 
		
	
	(20) UPEs include QMS Unrestricted Principals, PMS Contracted GPs and PMS Salaried GPS.
	Source:
	Department of health Non-Medical Workforce Census/Department of Health General and Personal Medical Services.

Cancer Plan

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made towards implementing the waiting time targets between referral and treatment by 2005 as outlined in the Cancer Plan; what statistics are published with which to measure progress; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: The primary purpose of the NHS Cancer Plan is to save more lives. Reducing waiting times is key to achieving this. Data on achievement of current milestones towards achievement of the NHS Cancer Plan waiting times targets, for children's and testicular cancers and acute leukaemia, and breast cancer, are published on the Department's website for strategic health authorities and trusts, at, http://www.dh.gov.uk/cancerwaits

Children (Alcohol)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children aged between 11 and 15 years were admitted to hospital owing to alcohol-related problems in each of the last six years.

Melanie Johnson: The information is shown in the following table.
	
		Number of young people aged 11–15 years admitted to NHS hospitals in England with a selection of alcohol-related primary diagnoses, 1997–98 to 2002–03
		
			  Finished Admission Episodes 
			 Primary diagnosis 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 
		
		
			  
			  
			 Mental and behavioural disorders due to alcohol(21) 2,457 2,326 2,950 2,918 2,921 2,760 
			 Alcoholic liver disease(22) — — 1 1 — — 
			 Toxic effect of alcohol(23) 895 737 764 739 674 562 
			 Total 3,352 3,063 3,715 3,658 3,595 3,322 
		
	
	ICD 10 codes:
	(21) ICD-10code F10
	(22) ICD-10code K70
	(23) ICD-10code T51
	Notes:
	1. A finished admission episode is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.
	2. Figures are grossed for both coverage and missing/invalid clinical data, except for 2001–02 and 2002–03, which are not yet adjusted for shortfalls.
	3. The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 (7 prior to 2002–03) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital.
	Source:
	Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Department of Health.

Drug-related Deaths

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answers of 29 January 2004, Official Report, column 472W and 5 February 2004, Official Report, column 1065W on drug-related deaths, what the reasons are for the difference in the figures for the number of drug-related deaths since 1999.

Melanie Johnson: The discrepancy in the Official Reports is because the figure stated in the 29 January 2004, Official Report, column 472W, refers to England and Wales and the figure stated in the 5 February 2004, Official Report, column 1065W refers to England only.

Contraceptive Services

Patsy Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will increase funding for contraceptive services to ensure that (a) all methods of contraception including new methods are made available and (b) medical practitioners are able to prescribe emergency contraception in advance where appropriate;
	(2)  how much was spent on contraceptive services in each of the last five financial years.

Melanie Johnson: "Shifting the Balance of Power" has allowed primary care trusts (PCTs) to have the necessary financial flexibility to provide services to best meet local needs. This includes ensuring access to the full range of methods of contraception, including emergency contraception, according to need. In addition, the Government has boosted these resources by providing an extra £1 million to help improve access to contraceptive services.
	The table contains family planning expenditure figures for National Health Service trusts and PCTs for the last four financial years. However, around three quarters of contraceptive care is provided by general practitioners in primary care for which expenditure figures are not available.
	
		£
		
			  Community based family planning 
			  NHS Trust expenditure Primary CareTrust expenditure Total expenditure 
		
		
			 1998–99 65.9 n/a 65.9 
			 1999–2000 70.5 n/a 70.5 
			 2000–01 74.2 1.2 75.4 
			 2001–02 57.8 19.9 77.6 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures rounded to one decimal place.
	Sources:
	Annual Financial Returns of NHS Trusts, 1998–99 to 2002–03.
	Annual Financial Returns of Primary Care Trusts, 2000–01 to 2002–03.

Drug Rehabilitation

Paul Stinchcombe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many individuals each local authority in England funded to undergo residential drug rehabilitation in the last year for which figures are available.

Melanie Johnson: The Department does not collect numbers of individuals funded by local authorities in residential rehabilitation.

Drug Rehabilitation

Paul Stinchcombe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money each local authority in England and Wales spent on residential drug rehabilitation places in the last year for which figures are available.

Melanie Johnson: The Department does not collect details of funding that local authorities make available for residential drug rehabilitation.

Early Intervention Teams

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons no more than 27 early intervention teams have been established.

Rosie Winterton: Establishing early intervention teams is a complex process and, in some localities where the approach is a relatively new one, it represents a significant shift in the culture of care. Services are working towards establishing the full complement of early intervention teams by the end of the year. The "Mental Health Policy Implementation Guide" (2001) sets out detailed guidance to help them, and support is also provided through the development centres of the National Institute for Mental Health in England. We are encouraged by the progress that is continuing to be made.

Hepatitis C

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to establish the "Hepatitis C Strategy for England", published in consultation form in August 2002.

Melanie Johnson: The Department intends to publish an action plan to implement the "Hepatitis C Strategy for England" in the next few months.

Hepatitis C

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much he (a) has spent in each of the last five years and (b) plans to spend in each of the next five years on raising Hepatitis C awareness.

Melanie Johnson: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		Department of Health central funding of activities related to raising awareness of hepatitis C
		
			 Financial year Amount (£) 
		
		
			 1999–2000 (24)None identifiable 
			 2000–01 (24)30,000 
			 2001–02 (24)241,000 
			 2002–03 (24)163,000 
			 2003–04 (25)224,500 
			 2004–05 (26)986,000 
			 2005–06 (26)1,500,000 
		
	
	(24) Actual Expenditure.
	(25) Forecast Expenditure.
	(26) Provisional allocation.
	Funding beyond 2005–06 is yet to be determined.

Illegal Meat Imports

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice has been issued to ethnic minority communities by the Food Standards Agency about the risk posed to human health through the consumption of (a) illegal meat imports and (b) bushmeat.

Melanie Johnson: Responsibility for raising public awareness of the issue of illegal imports lies with the Food Standards Agency (FSA), the Department for Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) and Her Majesty's Customs and Excise. In terms of advice specifically targeted towards ethnic minority communities, the FSA has discussed the issue of illegal meat imports with its Muslim organisations working group and has subsequently spoken on this topic at seminars organised by the Muslim community. These have included, most recently, talks at the Husaini Cultural Centre in Peterborough in September 2003 and also at Haringey Mosque and the Islamic Cultural Centre in London in November 2003.
	Defra has commissioned the Central Office of Information to undertake research in this area. The research phase of the project is currently under way and the results of this research will then be used to inform publicity campaigns among ethnic minority communities later in the year.
	The scope of the research includes examining attitudes among these communities to imports of meat, including bushmeat, and the possible risks to both animal and human health.
	The FSA and Her Majesty's Customs and Excise are involved in this project, as are stakeholders such as the Greater London Authority, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, the Bushmeat Campaign, Chartered Institute of Environmental Health and Local Authorities Co-ordinators of Regulatory Services.

Lupus

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many specialists there are who see patients suffering from Lupus (SLE).

Stephen Ladyman: Information on the clinical specialties of individual consultants is not held centrally. Patients with lupus can be seen by a range of specialists, depending on their symptoms. Lupus can mimic other diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis, making it difficult to diagnose.

Mental Health

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have died under restraint in mental health institutions in each of the last six years; and how many of these were from ethnic minorities.

Rosie Winterton: Information about the number of people who have died under restraint in each of the last six years from an ethnic minority comes from two sources.
	The Mental Health Act Commission collects data on individuals who have died while being retained under the Mental Health Act 1983. Data provided by the Commission are shown in the table.
	
		
			  1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Total number of deaths (from all causes) 621 386 403 390 361 304 
			 Number of deaths of detained patients where Control and Restraint was used in the seven days preceding death 18 16 25 10 11 9 
			 Number of deaths of detained patients where Control and Restraint was used in the 24 hours preceding death n/a(27) 2 1 0 1 1 
			 Number of those from ethnic minorities 1 1 0 0 0 1 
		
	
	(27) Data not readily available.
	Sudden and unexplained deaths data are collected by the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness.
	In the study period of March 1999 to February 2002 the following cases were reported:
	All cases:
	Cases of Sudden and Unexplained Deaths (SUD) who were physically restrained in the 24 hours before death:
	Four patients (4 per cent. of 110).
	Cases of SUD who were physically restrained 1 hour before death:
	Two patients (2 per cent. of 109).
	Ethnic minorities:
	Cases of SUD who were physically restrained in the 24 hours before death:
	One patient (9 per cent. of 11).
	Cases of SUD who were physically restrained 1 hour before death:
	One patient (9 per cent. of 11).
	However, it is important to note that the populations from which these data were selected from are not identical. Therefore the figures should be viewed with caution.

Mental Health

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many trusts offer women-only mental health day care facilities in England.

Rosie Winterton: Following "Shifting the Balance of Power", strategic health authorities (SHAs) carry responsibility for the development of local delivery plans that show how proposals for mental health modernisation will be taken forward.
	Information to guide local services on applicable service models is available in guidance published by the Department of Health. "Women's mental health: into the mainstream" was made available to services in September 2002. A copy has been placed in the Library.
	In addition, a programme of work led by the National Institute for Mental Health in England focuses on the development of services for women, including day care provision.
	SHAs carry responsibility for the direct management of trust performance, taking account of national guidance and local population needs and resources. Our annual national assessment of local services1 self-assessment of development shows that progress is being made but information is not captured centrally on a trust by trust basis.

Mental Health

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average wait for a mental health bed is in (a) Lancashire and (b) Chorley.

Melanie Johnson: As at September 2003, there were five patients from primary care trusts in the Lancashire area waiting for admission to a mental health bed for up to two months. There were no patients waiting for longer than that time in Lancashire. No patients were waiting for admission to a mental health bed in Chorley.
	In view of the small numbers involved, it is not possible to calculate average waiting times.
	Source:
	Department of Health Quarterly Monitoring Data

NHS Trusts (Chief Executive Misconduct)

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 12 January 2004, Official Report, column 616W, on NHS Trusts (Chief Executive Misconduct), what advice was given by the Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority to the Mersey Regional Ambulance Service concerning the investigation of a possible case of gross misconduct by the Chief Executive; by whom such advice was given, and when; and what action was taken following such advice by the Mersey Regional Ambulance Service to investigate the matter, and by whom.

Melanie Johnson: As an employment issue, this is a matter for the non-executives of the Mersey Regional Ambulance Service National Health Service Trust.

Breast Screening

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of women in (a) urban and (b) rural areas aged between 50 and 65 have undergone breast screening.

Melanie Johnson: This information is not held centrally in the format requested. Statistics on breast screening are published annually in the Department of Health Statistical Bulletin, Breast Screening Programme, England, a copy of which is available in the Library.

TETRA Masts

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he has issued to local authorities regarding health implications of TETRA masts.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 23 February 2004
	Advice to local authorities on the health implications for all electronic communication developments is contained in Planning Policy Guidance Note 8 (revised), issued by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, which has also issued a code of best practice on mobile phone network development.

TETRA Masts

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the findings were of the latest research commissioned by his Department is into health and safety aspects of TETRA masts; and what plans he has to update this.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 23 February 2004
	The Stewart Report, in 2000, provided a thorough and comprehensive consideration of the public health concerns associated with mobile phone systems and is available on the website of the independent expert group on mobile phones at: www.iegmp.org.uk The report dealt principally with signals from the widely used mobile phone (GSM) technologies, but it did note some contradictory results when examining the biological effects of pulsed radio signals similar to those associated with TETRA (terrestrial trunked radio). While no obvious health effect was suggested, it did recommend a precautionary approach.
	The main conclusion about base stations from the Stewart Report was that:
	"the balance of evidence indicates that there is no general risk to the health of people living near to base stations on the basis that exposures are expected to be small fractions of guidelines".
	A substantial number of measurements of potential exposures of the public from base station emissions have now been made by a number of bodies, including the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) at: www.nrpb.org and the Radiocommunications Agency (now part of Ofcom) at: www.ofcom.org.uk These measurements include emissions from TETRA base stations. In all cases exposures have been very much lower than the guidelines published by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP).
	The latest report from NRPB's advisory group on non-ionising radiation (AGNIR), entitled "Health Effects from Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields", was published on 14 January 2004. It addressed the base station issue and concluded that:
	"Exposure levels from living near to mobile phone base stations are extremely low, and the overall evidence indicates that they are unlikely to pose a risk to health."
	Following a request by the Home Office to the NRPB, the issue of possible health effects caused by signals from TETRA base stations was comprehensively addressed by AGNIR. They published their report, "Possible Health Effects from Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA)", in 2001, which is available as Documents of NRPB, Volume 12, No. 2, 2001, or on the NRPB website: www.nrpb.org They noted that whereas the signals from the TETRA handsets are pulsed, those from TETRA base stations are not pulsed. They concluded, therefore, that there is no reason to believe that signals from TETRA base stations should be treated differently from other base stations. The AGNIR report also found that exposures of the public to signals from TETRA base stations are small fractions of international guidelines.
	TETRA technologies are included within the Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research (MTHR) programme, set by the Government in 2001 and available at: www.mthr.org.uk An associated programme, specifically on TETRA, is being funded by the Home Office (www.homeoffice.gov.uk). A number of projects are already under way, but it will be some time before the results are available.

Welsh Hospital Closures

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospitals have been closed in Wales since 1997.

Don Touhig: I have been asked to reply.
	Approximately one third of the NHS Wales estate is over 50-years-old. It is generally accepted that the technological developments which are driving forward medical and clinical advances, and the demands for better patient environments are best accommodated by modern, purpose built facilities. In order to achieve this, NHS Wales has disposed of 30 healthcare properties (i.e. those with overnight beds) over the period from April 1997 to March 2003. Receipts from these disposals are reinvested in the modernisation process and have contributed to a total spend of £667million over the same period.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Community Funding

Edward Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what budgets have been allocated for (a) the Community Chest, (b) the Community Learning Chest and (c) the Community Empowerment Fund for each financial year from 2003–04 to 2005–06, broken down by English region.

Yvette Cooper: The following tables provide details of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister budget allocations for the Community Chest, Community Learning Chest and Community Empowerment Funds for each financial year between 2003–04 and 2005–06.
	
		Budget allocation to community chest funding -- £
		
			 Region 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 
		
		
			 East 341,916 341,916 341,916 
			 East Midlands 1,739,056 1,739,056 1,739,056 
			 London 5,313,331 5,313,331 5,313,331 
			 North East 3,549,043 3,549,043 3,549,043 
			 North West 6,490,702 6,490,702 6,490,702 
			 South East 585,151 585,151 585,151 
			 South West 729,480 729,480 729,480 
			 West Midlands 2,890,901 2,890,901 2,890,901 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 3,360,419 3,360,419 3,360,419 
		
	
	
		Budget allocation to community learning chest funding -- £
		
			 Region 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 
		
		
			 East 89,434 89,434 89,434 
			 East Midlands 425,508 425,508 425,508 
			 London 1,287,209 1,287,209 1,287,209 
			 North East 865,727 865,727 865,727 
			 North West 1,540,664 1,540,664 1,540,664 
			 South East 158,402 158,402 158,402 
			 South West 188,336 188,336 188,336 
			 West Midlands 664,409 664,409 664,409 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 780,309 780,309 780,309 
		
	
	
		Budget allocation to community empowerment fund -- £
		
			 Region 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 
		
		
			 East 228,033 228,033 228,033 
			 East Midlands 905,245 905,245 905,245 
			 London 2,654,485 2,654,485 2,654,485 
			 North East 1,824,502 1,824,502 1,824,502 
			 North West 2,967,301 2,967,301 2,967,301 
			 South East 436,573 436,573 436,573 
			 South West 465,082 465,082 465,082 
			 West Midlands 1,132,771 1,132,771 1,132,771 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 1,386,008 1,386,008 1,386,008

Decent Homes

Stephen Byers: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the number of local authority dwellings in North Tyneside which do not meet the decent homes standard; and what estimate he has made of the cost of raising them all to this standard.

Keith Hill: North Tyneside Council report that they have 8,973 dwellings which do not currently meet the decent homes standard and that it will cost up to £31 million to tackle this problem.

EU Structural Funding

Ann Winterton: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 2 February 2004, Official Report, column 739W, on European Regional Funding, what the level of matched funding is (a) in financial terms and (b) as a percentage of EU funding for each of the regions for the period 2000 to 2006; and to which financial years the figures relate.

Nick Raynsford: Tabled as follows are the budgeted levels of match funding both in total financial terms and as a percentage of the total programmes for 2000 to 2006, for the North West, North East and Yorkshire and the Humber regions. Regions have discretion to vary the levels of actual spend between years and we expect some programmes will do so, up to the absolute deadline of 31 December 2008.
	European funding programmes operate to calendar years. The domestic financial years to which these figures relate are from 1999–2000 (part) to 2006–07 (part).
	
		Merseyside Objective 1 budgeted EU funding Euros
		
			 North West EU funds Match funding 
		
		
			 2000 204.503 301.403 
			 2001 200.934 296.234 
			 2002 197.091 290.391 
			 2003 193.248 284.748 
			 2004 171.014 252.114 
			 2005 184.464 271.964 
			 2006 181.994 267.694 
			 Total 1,333.248 1,964.548 
			 Total programme value  3,297.796 
			 Match funding as a percentage of total programme value  60 per cent. 
		
	
	
		Objective 2 budgeted EU funding Euros
		
			 North West EU funds Match funding 
		
		
			 2000 90.676 107.966 
			 2001 92.709 120.049 
			 2002 94.585 133.972 
			 2003 96.303 136.996 
			 2004 88.956 126.471 
			 2005 90.989 127.893 
			 2006 92.711 128.893 
			 Total 646.929 882.240 
			 Total programme value  1,529.169 
			 Match funding as a percentage of total programme value  58 per cent. 
		
	
	
		Objective 2 budgeted EU funding Euros
		
			 North East EU funds Match funding 
		
		
			 2000 95.082 155.397 
			 2001 97.207 158.875 
			 2002 99.177 162.091 
			 2003 100.983 165.041 
			 2004 93.276 152.445 
			 2005 95.408 155.929 
			 2006 97.217 158.884 
			 Total 678.350 1,108.662 
			 Total programme value  1,787.012 
			 Match funding as a percentage of total programme value  62 per cent. 
		
	
	
		South Yorkshire Objective 1 budgeted EU funding Euros
		
			 Yorkshire and the Humber EU funds Match funding 
		
		
			 2000 179.843 286.332 
			 2001 176.705 281.338 
			 2002 173.325 285.179 
			 2003 169.946 270.446 
			 2004 150.392 239.446 
			 2005 162.221 258.277 
			 2006 160.048 245.593 
			 Total 1,172.480 1,866.611 
			 Total programme value  3,039.091 
			 Match funding as a percentage of total programme value  61 per cent. 
		
	
	
		Yorkshire and the Humber Objective 2 budgeted EU funding Euros
		
			 Yorkshire and the Humber EU funds Match funding 
		
		
			 2000 64.924 107.498  
			 2001 66.380 109.909 
			 2002 67.723 112.133 
			 2003 68.954 114.172 
			 2004 63.693 105.458 
			 2005 65.148 107.868 
			 2006 66.378 109.904 
			 Total 463.200 766.942 
			 Total programme value  1,230.142 
			 Match funding as a percentage of total programme value  62 per cent.

HMOs

Edward Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list those respondents to Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation in England, a consultation paper, who believed that university owned or managed accommodation should not (a) fall within the definition of houses in multiple occupation and (b) be covered by the houses in multiple occupation licensing scheme.

Keith Hill: A total of 579 responses were received to the 1999 consultation paper on Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation in England. The consultation paper asked for views on including University owned or managed accommodation within the scope of the proposed licensing scheme. It did not seek views on whether this accommodation should fall within the proposed definition of HMOs.
	Most respondents did not express a view on the proposal to exempt university owned or managed accommodation from the HMO licensing scheme. However, the following individuals or bodies supported the proposal:
	1. Ian R. Broughton
	2. Tony Bayliss
	3. Oxford Fire Service
	4. University of Newcastle
	5. Torbay Council
	6. John Stather
	7. Cornwall County Council
	8. Cheshire Fire Brigade
	9. Bath and North East Somerset Council
	10. The Institute of Legal Executives
	11. Higher Education Funding Council
	12. Southampton Federation of Residents' Associations
	13. Bedfordshire and Luton Fire and Rescue Service
	14. Ipswich Borough Council
	15. Ely Valley Council
	16. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
	17. Torridge District Council
	18. Teignbridge District Council
	19. The Borough of Basingstoke and Dean
	20. Hartlepool Borough Council
	21. Portsmouth City Council
	22. Wansbeck Borough Council
	23. Kent CIEH Housing Technical Group
	24. St. Helens Metropolitan Borough Council
	25. Borough of Spelthorn
	26. County Durham and Darlington Fire Rescue Brigade
	27. Taunton Deane Borough Council
	28. South Hams District Council
	29. Somerset HMO Group
	30. Essex County Fire and Rescue Service
	31. Newcastle City Council
	32. Rochford District Council
	33. Wandsworth Borough Council
	34. North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service
	35. Committee of Vice Chancellors and Principals
	36. London Borough of Brent
	37. Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council
	38. Home Office Fire Policy Unit
	39. Lancaster University
	40. Tendring District Council
	41. Chartered Institute of Environmental Health
	42. ROOM-The National Council for Housing and Planning
	43. London Borough of Ealing
	44. Merseyside Fire and Civil Defence Authority
	45. Newport County Borough
	46. Welsh Funding Councils
	47. Reading Borough Council
	48. Oxford University: Christ Church College
	49. Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors in Wales
	50. Blaenau Gwent County Borough
	51. Rhondda Cynon Taff
	52. Association for Student Residential Accommodation (Wales)
	53. The Treforest Community Joint Committee
	54. University of Wales
	University owned and managed accommodation is not excluded from the definition of HMOs for the purposes of Part 1 (Housing Conditions) of the Housing Bill currently before parliament. These provisions would enable local authorities to take action against university landlords in certain circumstances when there are risks to students arising from the condition of their university accommodation.

Homelessness

Andy King: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the statutory definition is of intentional homelessness.

Yvette Cooper: The circumstances when a person becomes homeless intentionally are set out in section 191 of the Housing Act 1996. The 1996 Act extends to England and Wales.
	Section 191 is reproduced as follows:
	1. A person becomes homeless intentionally if he deliberately does or fails to do anything in consequence of which he ceases to occupy accommodation which is available for his occupation and which it would have been reasonable for him to continue to occupy.
	2. For the purposes of subsection 1. an act or omission in good faith on the part of a person who was unaware of any relevant fact shall not be treated as deliberate.
	3. A person shall be treated as becoming homeless intentionally if:
	(a) he enters into an arrangement under which he is required to cease to occupy accommodation which it would have been reasonable for him to continue to occupy, and
	(b) the purpose of the arrangement is to enable him to become entitled to assistance under this Part, and there is no other good reason why he is homeless.
	4. A person who is given advice or assistance under section 197 (duty where other suitable alternative accommodation available), but fails to secure suitable accommodation in circumstances in which it was reasonably to be expected that he would do so, shall, if he makes a further application under this Part, be treated as having become homeless intentionally.

Merseyside Pathfinder

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much of the £86 million which has been awarded to the Merseyside Pathfinder will go to Sefton.

Yvette Cooper: On 2 February 2004 the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister announced that the Merseyside Housing Market Renewal Pathfinder would receive up to £86 million for the period up to March 2006. We have allocated this funding to the Pathfinder. It is for the Pathfinder's board to decide on how it will meet its strategic aims and in which parts of the Pathfinder area it will spend these resources.

Local Government Finance

Paul Beresford: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 23 February 2004, Official Report, columns 27–28W, on local government finance, what the total gross English local authority expenditure was for each year since 1992–93, including that sourced from council tax, central grant and any other source, as well as those services funded by other bodies since 1992–93.

Nick Raynsford: English local authority gross expenditure 1992–93 to 2001–02 is listed in the following table.
	
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 1992–93 69,351 
			 1993–94 69,102 
			 1994–95 71,700 
			 1995–96 73,568 
			 1996–97 75,596 
			 1997–98 77,209 
			 1998–99 81,431 
			 1999–2000 84,824 
			 2000–01 90,179 
			 2001–02 97,794 
		
	
	Notes:
	Gross expenditure here includes spending from the General Fund Revenue Account, the Housing Revenue Account, External Trading Services accounts and the Capital Account. Adjustments have been made to eliminate double counting where possible. The General Fund Revenue Account is financed from formula grant (which includes revenue support grant, redistributed non-domestic rates, police grant), and specific grants within Aggregate External Finance (AEF) as well as specific grants outside AEF, sales, fees and charges and other non-grant income. The answer of 23 February, was restricted to the General Fund Revenue Account and excluded specific grants outside AEF and sales, fees and charges and other non-grant income.
	Source:
	Local Government Financial Statistics England No.5 to No.14

Non-domestic Rate Pool

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to consult on changing the operation of the national non-domestic rate pool.

Nick Raynsford: The Balance of Funding Review is looking at the options for changing the Local Government Finance system, which include the future of non-domestic rates. The Review will report in the summer.

Parliamentary Constituencies

Ann Winterton: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many parliamentary constituencies make up (a) the North West region, (b) the North East region and (c) Yorkshire and the Humber region.

Nick Raynsford: There are 76 parliamentary constituencies in the North West, 30 in the North East and 56 in Yorkshire and the Humber.

Planning Applications

Evan Harris: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister for how long he has been considering the planning application (SUN/2963/11 or GOSE/103/3/VALE/29) for residential development on the Foxcombe Road site of the old Warnborough College on Boars Hill, near Oxford; and when he plans to make a decision.

Keith Hill: Planning application SUN/2963/11 was first referred to my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister for consideration on 13 December 2000. The application was called in for my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister's own determination on 19 February 2001 and, following a public inquiry, was refused on 13 November 2001, against the Inspector's recommendation. The decision was successfully challenged in the High Court but the application was again refused on 12 March 2003. That decision has again been successfully challenged and the application now falls to be re-determined a second time. My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister attaches great importance to preserving the openness of the Green Belt, and has asked for any further representations the parties may wish to make by the closing date of 27 February 2004. A decision will be made as soon as possible.

Planning Applications

Evan Harris: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister for what reasons he submitted to judgment in the High Court the planning application (SUN/2963/11 or GOSE/103/3/VALE/29) for residential development on the Foxcombe Road site of the old Warnborough College on Boars Hill, near Oxford in (a) April 2002 and (b) September 2003.

Keith Hill: The main reason my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister submitted to judgment in each case was:
	(a) My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister attached too much weight to the extant planning permission for residential conversion of the existing buildings, whereas the applicants had stated that, if the current application were refused, they would not implement the permission and would sell the site to an institutional user; and
	(b) My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister failed to take into account a material consideration, namely the relative effects of a more than 'low-key' institutional use of the site.

Planning Applications

Evan Harris: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the cost of the time (a) his officials and (b) officials of the Government office for the South East spent on dealing with the planning application (SUN/2963/11 or GOSE/103/3/VALE/29) for residential development on the Foxcombe Road site of the old Warnborough College on Boars Hill, near Oxford.

Keith Hill: This has been a complex and long-running case. My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister attaches great importance to the Green Belt policy. No estimate has been made of the cost of the time spent by his officials on dealing with the planning application.

Planning Applications

Evan Harris: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what targets he has set for the time taken to reconsider planning applications after a decision he has taken is legally challenged successfully.

Keith Hill: No targets have been set for the time taken to re-determine a planning application following a successful legal challenge, although the aim is to re-determine all cases as soon as possible. However, for the re-determination of called-in applications, we would aim to issue a decision within 13 weeks from the conclusion of the written representations procedure or receipt of the Inspector's report if it has been decided to re-open the inquiry.

Regional Assemblies

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the evidential basis was for his estimate that an elected regional assembly would have (a) running costs of £25 million a year and (b) set-up costs of £30 million.

Nick Raynsford: The evidence is drawn from the cost of setting up the Greater London Authority and its first year running costs, reflecting differences between the London arrangements and those proposed for elected regional assemblies. For example, it is not proposed to provide elected assemblies with new, purpose built headquarters.

Regional Funding

Ann Winterton: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 2 February 2004, Official Report, column 743W, on regional funding, whether the recipient organisations were ever under local authority control.

Nick Raynsford: None of the recipient organisations have recently been under local authority control.

Retirement Age

David Laws: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on his plans to raise the normal retirement age for firefighters; what estimate he has made of the savings from raising the normal retirement age and pension age to 65; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Raynsford: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is reviewing pension arrangements for firefighters in accordance with the Government's White Paper "Our Fire and Rescue Service" (CM 5808), and in the light of the Department of Work and Pensions Green Paper (CM 5865). Proposals, which will reflect changes to the tax and policy framework for pensions, including on retirement and pension ages, have still to be formulated: consequently costings of possible savings to employers are not available. There will be consultation on the proposals that emerge.